Ultralong Cycle Life Achieved by a Natural Plant: Miscanthus × giganteus for Lithium Oxygen Batteries.
Large energy-storage systems and electric vehicles require energy devices with high power and high energy density. Lithium oxygen (Li-O2) batteries could achieve high energy density, but they are still facing problems such as low practical capacity and poor cyclability. Here, we prepare activated carbons (MGACs) based on the natural plant Miscanthus × giganteus (MG) through slow pyrolysis. It possesses a large surface area, plenty of active sites, and high porosity, which are beneficial to the utilization of oxygen electrode in Li-O2batteries. The MGACs-based oxygen electrode delivers a high specific capacity of 9400 mAh/g at 0.02 mA/cm2, and long cycle life of 601 cycles (with a cutoff capacity of 500 mAh/g) and 295 cycles (with a cutoff capacity of 1000 mAh/g) at 0.2 mA/cm2, respectively. Additionally, the material exhibits high rate capability and high reversibility, which is a promising candidate for the application in Li-O2batteries.
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, China.
Shu
S
Li
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University , 100 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States.
Xuanxuan
X
Bi
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, China.
Ran
R
Tao
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, China.
Qingzhen
Q
Wang
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, China.|National High Technology Development Center of Green Materials , Beijing 100081, China.
Ying
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0472-0852
Y
Yao
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, China.|National High Technology Development Center of Green Materials , Beijing 100081, China.
Feng
F
Wu
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, China.|National High Technology Development Center of Green Materials , Beijing 100081, China.
Cunzhong
C
Zhang
Li2O2; Li−O2 batteries; activated carbon; cyclability; oxygen electrodes