Using elastin protein to develop highly efficient air cathodes for lithium-O-2 batteries

作者：Guo Guilue^*; Yao Xin; Ang Huixiang; Tan Huiteng; Zhang Yu; Guo Yuanyuan; Fong Eileen; Yan Qingyu

来源：Nanotechnology, 2016, 27(4): 045401.

DOI：10.1088/0957-4484/27/4/045401

• elastin protein
• metal-nitrogen catalysts
• Li-O-2 battery
• roundtrip efficiency

Transition metal-nitrogen/carbon (M-N/C, M = Fe, Co) catalysts are synthesized using environmentally friendly histidine-tag-rich elastin protein beads, metal sulfate and water soluble carbon nanotubes followed by post-annealing and acid leaching processes. The obtained catalysts are used as cathode materials in lithium-O-2 batteries. It has been. discovered that during discharge, Li2O2 nanoparticles first nucleate and grow around the bead-decorated CNT regions (M-N/C centres) and coat on the catalysts at a high degree of discharge. The Fe-N/C catalyst-based cathodes deliver a capacity of 12 441 mAh g(-1) at a current density of 100 mA g(-1). When they were cycled at a limited capacity of 800 mAh g(-1) at current densities of 200 or 400 mA g(-1), these cathodes showed stable charge voltages of similar to 3.65 or 3.90 V, corresponding to energy efficiencies of similar to 71.2. or 65.1%, respectively. These results are considerably. superior to those of the cathodes based on bare annealed CNTs, which prove that the Fe-N/C catalysts developed here are promising for use in non-aqueous lithium-O-2 battery cathodes.

• 出版日期2016-1-29
• 单位南阳理工学院