title: Promoting formation of noncrystalline Li2O2 in the Li-O2 battery with RuO2 nanoparticles.
abstract: Low electrical efficiency for the lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) electrochemical reaction is one of the most significant challenges in current nonaqueous Li-O2 batteries. Here we present ruthenium oxide nanoparticles (RuO2 NPs) dispersed on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a cathode, which dramatically increase the electrical efficiency up to 73%. We demonstrate that the RuO2 NPs contribute to the formation of poorly crystalline lithium peroxide (Li2O2) that is coated over the CNT with large contact area during oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This unique Li2O2 structure can be smoothly decomposed at low potential upon oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by avoiding the energy loss associated with the decomposition of the more typical Li2O2 structure with a large size, small CNT contact area, and insulating crystals.
authors.affiliation: Byon Initiative Research Unit (IRU), RIKEN , Wako Campus, Hirosawa 2-1, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Eda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yogi
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Hye Ryung
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Byon
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D008094:Lithium / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry; D012428:Ruthenium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D012428:Ruthenium; D008094:Lithium; D010100:Oxygen