title: Facile Synthesis of Boron-Doped rGO as Cathode Material for High Energy Li-O2 Batteries.
abstract: To improve the electrochemical performance of the high energy Li-O2 batteries, it is important to design and construct a suitable and effective oxygen-breathing cathode. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) porous boron-doped reduction graphite oxide (B-rGO) material with a hierarchical structure has been prepared by a facile freeze-drying method. In this design, boric acid as the boron source helps to form the 3D porous structure, owing to its cross-linking and pore-forming function. This architecture facilitates the rapid oxygen diffusion and electrolyte penetration in the electrode. Meanwhile, the boron-oxygen functional groups linking to the carbon surface or edge serve as additional reaction sites to activate the ORR process. It is vital that boron atoms have been doped into the carbon lattices to greatly activate the electrons in the carbon π system, which is beneficial for fast charge under large current densities. Density functional theory calculation demonstrates that B-rGO exhibits much stronger interactions with Li5O6 clusters, so that B-rGO more effectively activates Li-O bonds to decompose Li2O2 during charge than rGO does. With B-rGO as a catalytic substrate, the Li-O2 battery achieves a high discharge capacity and excellent rate capability. Moreover, catalysts could be added into the B-rGO substrate to further lower the overpotential and enhance the cycling performance in future.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Material Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, PR China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Electric Vehicles in Beijing, Beijing 100081, PR China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Material Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, PR China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Material Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, PR China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Electric Vehicles in Beijing, Beijing 100081, PR China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Material Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, PR China.
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Material Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, PR China.
authors.forename: Wenjie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Electron Microscopy Center, Material Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States.
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Electron Microscopy Center, Material Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States.
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Material Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, PR China.
authors.forename: Yusheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Material Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, PR China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Electric Vehicles in Beijing, Beijing 100081, PR China.
authors.forename: Renjie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Chemical Science and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States.
authors.forename: Khalil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Amine
authors.affiliation: Chemical Science and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
keywords: Boron-doped reduction graphite oxide; Catalytic substrate; Discharge capacity; Li−O2 batteries; Rate capability