Abstract:
Porous Co
3O
4 nanofibers (Co
3O
4 NFs) composed with nanoparticles were fabricated by combining electrostatic spinning with subsequent calcination technology adopting Co(C
5H
7O
2)
3 as the precursor. The prepared porous Co
3O
4 NFs with specific surface area is up to 83 m
2·g
−1, which can be successfully used as an efficient catalyst in Li-air battery. Porous Co
3O
4 NFs provide sufficient active sites and transport channels for the battery reaction, which is favorable for the battery reaction and greatly improves the discharge capacity of the battery. In addition, the addition of Co
3O
4 catalyst also greatly promotes the catalytic activity of the cathode and reduces the over-potential of the Li-air battery. Significantly, with the addition of Co
3O
4 catalyst, the morphology of discharge product Li
2O
2 can also be regulated. Li
2O
2 with smaller size are uniformly distributed on the surface of cathode, which is more likely to be decomposed during the subsequent charging process. Additionally, the volume effect of the electrode is greatly alleviated. Because of the above-mentioned advantages, the electrochemical performances of porous Co
3O
4 NFs/Super P carbon (Co
3O
4 NFs/SP)-based Li-air battery have been greatly improved. The discharge capacity of Co
3O
4 NFs/SP is up to 10600 mA·h·g
−1 at the current density of 50 mA·g
−1, and 100 continuous discharge-charge cycles can be achieved.