Simple air blow to charge Li-air, rechargeable, solid-state batteries using nano-engineered aerogel structures

Abstract

Lithium air (Li-air) batteries have recently sparked significant research interest in battery technologies due to their high theoretical energy densities, 5–10 times higher than commercial Li-ion batteries. These cells, however, have several major flaws, such as electrode disintegration, a short cycle life, polarization losses, and air sensitivity, which prevents them from dominating the battery field. The most important challenge is to develop a high-throughput air-breathing cathode capable of delivering effective oxygen while excluding other contaminants (e.g., CO2 and H2O), so that ambient air can be used for intake. Here, we developed nano-engineered metal oxide-graphene aerogel matrix composites (NMOGAM), as active air breathing cathodes, specifically embedded with nanowires (Fe2O3) along with nanoparticles (TiO2, dolomite CaMg(CO3)2)), to enhance CO2 capture along with inner hydrophobic groups that remove water. As a result, rechargeable high-performance Li-air batteries with high electrochemical performances (up to 500 cycles in air with a capacity of 5850 mAh g−1) are developed, which can be charged with a simple blow/puff of air.

Keywords

• Lithium-air
• Air breathing cathode
• Aerogel
• Nanoengineering