An Organic Catalyst for Li-O2 Batteries: Dilithium Quinone-1,4-Dicarboxylate

Solid organic electrocatalysts have hardly been tested in Li-O2 batteries. Here, a new solid organic electrocatalyst, dilithium quinone-1,4-dicarboxylate (Li2 C8 H2 O6 ) is presented, which is expected to overcome the shortcomings of inorganic catalysts. The function-oriented synthesis is low cost and low polluting. The electrocatalytic performance is evaluated by following the degradation of Li2 O2 during the charge process in a Li-O2 cell through in situ XRD and operando synchrotron radiation powder XRD (SR-PXD) measurements. The results indicate that the electrocatalytic activity of Li2 C8 H2 O6 is similar to that of commercial Pt. The Li2 O2 decomposition in a cell with Li2 C8 H2 O6 catalyst follows a pseudo-zero-order reaction, virtually without any side reactions. These results provide an insight into the development of new organic catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in Li-O2 batteries.