Title: Bamboo–Like Nitrogen–Doped Carbon Nanotube Forests as Durable Metal–Free Catalysts for Self–Powered Flexible Li–CO₂ Batteries

Abstract

Abstract The Li–CO ₂ battery is a promising energy storage device for wearable electronics due to its long discharge plateau, high energy density, and environmental friendliness. However, its utilization is largely hindered by poor cyclability and mechanical rigidity due to the lack of a flexible and durable catalyst electrode. Herein, flexible fiber‐shaped Li–CO ₂ batteries with ultralong cycle‐life, high rate capability, and large specific capacity are fabricated, employing bamboo‐like N‐doped carbon nanotube fiber (B‐NCNT) as flexible, durable metal‐free catalysts for both CO ₂ reduction and evolution reactions. Benefiting from high N‐doping with abundant pyridinic groups, rich defects, and active sites of the periodic bamboo‐like nodes, the fabricated Li–CO ₂ battery shows outstanding electrochemical performance with high full‐discharge capacity of 23 328 mAh g ⁻¹ , high rate capability with a low potential gap up to 1.96 V at a current density of 1000 mA g ⁻¹ , stability over 360 cycles, and good flexibility. Meanwhile, the bifunctional B‐NCNT is used as the counter electrode for a fiber‐shaped dye‐sensitized solar cell to fabricate a self‐powered fiber‐shaped Li–CO ₂ battery with overall photochemical–electric energy conversion efficiency of up to 4.6%. Along with a stable voltage output, this design demonstrates great adaptability and applicationmore » potentiality in wearable electronics with a breath monitor as an example.« less

Authors:

Li, Xuelian ^[1]; Zhou, Jingwen ^[1]; Zhang, Junxiang ^[1]; Li, Matthew ^[2]; Bi, Xuanxuan ^[3]; Liu, Tongchao ^[4]; He, Tao ^[1]; Cheng, Jianli ^[1]; Zhang, Fan ^[5]; Li, Yongpeng ^[1]; Mu, Xiaowei ^[5]; Lu, Jun  ^[3];

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Wang, Bin ^[1]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. China Academy of Engineering Physics, Sichuan (People's Republic of China). Inst. of Chemical Materials
2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States). Chemical Sciences and Engineering Div.; Univ. of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering Waterloo Inst. of Nanotechnology
3. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States). Chemical Sciences and Engineering Div.
4. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States). Chemical Sciences and Engineering Div.; Peking Univ. Shenzhen Graduate School Shenzhen 518055 (China). School of Advanced Materials
5. Nanjing Univ., Nanjing (People's Republic of China). Center of Energy Storage Materials & Technology College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures

Publication Date:

Fri Aug 09 00:00:00 EDT 2019

Research Org.:

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

OSTI Identifier:

1574295

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1548797

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-06CH11357

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Advanced Materials

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 31; Journal Issue: 39; Journal ID: ISSN 0935-9648

Publisher:

Wiley

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

25 ENERGY STORAGE; Li-CO2 batteries; flexible electrodes; metal-free bifunctional catalysts; nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes; self-powered systems