Conjugated Cobalt Polyphthalocyanine as the Elastic and Reprocessable Catalyst for Flexible Li-CO₂ Batteries

Li-CO₂ batteries represent an attractive solution for electrochemical energy storage by utilizing atmospheric CO₂ as the energy carrier. However, their practical viability critically depends on the development of efficient and low-cost cathode catalysts for the reversible formation and decomposition of Li₂ CO₃ . Here, the great potential of a structurally engineered polymer is demonstrated as the cathode catalyst for rechargeable Li-CO₂ batteries. Conjugated cobalt polyphthalocyanine is prepared via a facile microwave heating method. Due to the crosslinked network, it is intrinsically elastic and has improved chemical, physical, and mechanical stability. Electrochemical measurements show that cobalt polyphthalocyanine facilitates the reversible formation and decomposition of Li₂ CO₃ , and therefore enables high-performance Li-CO₂ batteries with large areal capacity and impressive cycling performance. In addition, the elastic and reprocessable property of the polymeric catalyst renders it possible to fabricate flexible batteries.