New Electrode and Electrolyte Configurations for Lithium-Oxygen Battery

Cathode configurations reported herein are alternative to the most diffused ones for application in lithium-oxygen batteries, using an ionic liquid-based electrolyte. The electrodes employ high surface area conductive carbon as the reaction host, and polytetrafluoroethylene as the binding agent to enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) reversibility. Roll-pressed, self-standing electrodes (SSEs) and thinner, spray deposited electrodes (SDEs) are characterized in lithium-oxygen cells using an ionic liquid (IL) based electrolyte formed by mixing lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt and N,N-diethyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)-N-methylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (DEMETFSI). The electrochemical results reveal reversible reactions for both electrode configurations, but improved electrochemical performance for the self-standing electrodes in lithium-oxygen cells. These electrodes show charge/discharge polarizations at 60 °C limited to 0.4 V, with capacity up to 1 mAh cm^-2 and energy efficiency of about 88 %, while the spray deposited electrodes reveal, under the same conditions, a polarization of 0.6 V and energy efficiency of 80 %. The roll pressed electrode combined with the DEMETFSI-LiTFSI electrolyte and a composite Li_x Sn-C alloy anode forms a full Li-ion oxygen cell showing extremely limited polarization, and remarkable energy efficiency.