skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: The Effect of Potassium Impurities Deliberately Introduced into Activated Carbon Cathodes on the Performance of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

Abstract

Rechargeable lithium-air (Li-O2) batteries have drawn much interest owing to their high energy density. We report on the effect of deliberately introducing potassium impurities into the cathode material on the electrochemical performance of a Li-O2 battery. Small amounts of potassium introduced into the activated carbon (AC) cathode material in the synthesis process are found to have a dramatic effect on the performance of the Li-O2 cell. An increased amount of potassium significantly increases capacity, cycle life, and round-trip efficiency. This improved performance is probably due to a larger amount of LiO2 in the discharge product, which is a mixture of LiO2 and Li2O2, resulting from the increase in the amount of potassium present. No substantial correlation with porosity or surface area in an AC cathode is found. Lastly, experimental and computational studies indicate that potassium can act as an oxygen reduction catalyst, which can account for the dependence of performance on the amount of potassium.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [2]
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Materials Science Division
  3. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Electron Microscopy Center
  4. Tsinghua Univ., Shenzhen (China). Graduate School
  5. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1332997
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
ChemSusChem
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 24; Journal ID: ISSN 1864-5631
Publisher:
ChemPubSoc Europe
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 25 ENERGY STORAGE; Li-O2 battery; activated carbon; lithium superoxide; carbon; batteries; lithium; oxygen; potassium

Citation Formats

Zhai, Dengyun, Lau, Kah Chun, Wang, Hsien-Hau, Wen, Jianguo, Miller, Dean J., Kang, Feiyu, Li, Baohua, Zavadil, Kevin, and Curtiss, Larry A. The Effect of Potassium Impurities Deliberately Introduced into Activated Carbon Cathodes on the Performance of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1002/cssc.201500960.
Zhai, Dengyun, Lau, Kah Chun, Wang, Hsien-Hau, Wen, Jianguo, Miller, Dean J., Kang, Feiyu, Li, Baohua, Zavadil, Kevin, & Curtiss, Larry A. The Effect of Potassium Impurities Deliberately Introduced into Activated Carbon Cathodes on the Performance of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201500960
Zhai, Dengyun, Lau, Kah Chun, Wang, Hsien-Hau, Wen, Jianguo, Miller, Dean J., Kang, Feiyu, Li, Baohua, Zavadil, Kevin, and Curtiss, Larry A. 2015. "The Effect of Potassium Impurities Deliberately Introduced into Activated Carbon Cathodes on the Performance of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201500960. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1332997.
@article{osti_1332997,
title = {The Effect of Potassium Impurities Deliberately Introduced into Activated Carbon Cathodes on the Performance of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries},
author = {Zhai, Dengyun and Lau, Kah Chun and Wang, Hsien-Hau and Wen, Jianguo and Miller, Dean J. and Kang, Feiyu and Li, Baohua and Zavadil, Kevin and Curtiss, Larry A.},
abstractNote = {Rechargeable lithium-air (Li-O2) batteries have drawn much interest owing to their high energy density. We report on the effect of deliberately introducing potassium impurities into the cathode material on the electrochemical performance of a Li-O2 battery. Small amounts of potassium introduced into the activated carbon (AC) cathode material in the synthesis process are found to have a dramatic effect on the performance of the Li-O2 cell. An increased amount of potassium significantly increases capacity, cycle life, and round-trip efficiency. This improved performance is probably due to a larger amount of LiO2 in the discharge product, which is a mixture of LiO2 and Li2O2, resulting from the increase in the amount of potassium present. No substantial correlation with porosity or surface area in an AC cathode is found. Lastly, experimental and computational studies indicate that potassium can act as an oxygen reduction catalyst, which can account for the dependence of performance on the amount of potassium.},
doi = {10.1002/cssc.201500960},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1332997}, journal = {ChemSusChem},
issn = {1864-5631},
number = 24,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Dec 02 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Wed Dec 02 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 12 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

A Polymer Electrolyte-Based Rechargeable Lithium/Oxygen Battery
journal, January 1996


The Lithium-Oxygen Battery with Ether-Based Electrolytes
journal, July 2011


Die Lithium-Sauerstoff-Batterie mit etherbasierten Elektrolyten
journal, July 2011


All-carbon-nanofiber electrodes for high-energy rechargeable Li–O2 batteries
journal, January 2011


An improved high-performance lithium–air battery
journal, June 2012


A Reversible and Higher-Rate Li-O2 Battery
journal, July 2012


Oxygen Reactions in a Non-Aqueous Li+ Electrolyte
journal, May 2011


Oxygen Reactions in a Non-Aqueous Li+ Electrolyte
journal, May 2011


A stable cathode for the aprotic Li–O2 battery
journal, September 2013


Tailoring deposition and morphology of discharge products towards high-rate and long-life lithium-oxygen batteries
journal, September 2013


Superior Rechargeability and Efficiency of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries: Hierarchical Air Electrode Architecture Combined with a Soluble Catalyst
journal, March 2014


The Carbon Electrode in Nonaqueous Li–O2 Cells
journal, December 2012

  • Ottakam Thotiyl, Muhammed M.; Freunberger, Stefan A.; Peng, Zhangquan
  • Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 135, Issue 1, p. 494-500
  • https://doi.org/10.1021/ja310258x

Graphene Oxide Gel-Derived, Free-Standing, Hierarchically Porous Carbon for High-Capacity and High-Rate Rechargeable Li-O2 Batteries
journal, May 2012


The Electrochemical Performance of Phenol-Formaldehyde Based Activated Carbon Electrodes for Lithium/Oxygen Batteries
journal, January 2012


Hierarchically Porous Graphene as a Lithium–Air Battery Electrode
journal, November 2011


On the Efficacy of Electrocatalysis in Nonaqueous Li–O 2 Batteries
journal, November 2011


The Role of Charge Reactions in Cyclability of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries
journal, July 2013


A novel air electrode design: A key to high rate capability and long life span
journal, June 2014


Fe/N/C Composite in Li–O 2 Battery: Studies of Catalytic Structure and Activity toward Oxygen Evolution Reaction
journal, October 2012


The role of vacancies and defects in Na0.44MnO2 nanowire catalysts for lithium–oxygen batteries
journal, January 2012


The discharge rate capability of rechargeable Li–O2 batteries
journal, January 2011


The Role of Catalysts and Peroxide Oxidation in Lithium-Oxygen Batteries
journal, November 2012


The Role of Catalysts and Peroxide Oxidation in Lithium-Oxygen Batteries
journal, December 2012


Selective Deposition of Ru Nanoparticles on TiSi 2 Nanonet and Its Utilization for Li 2 O 2 Formation and Decomposition
journal, June 2014


Core-Shell-Structured CNT@RuO 2 Composite as a High-Performance Cathode Catalyst for Rechargeable Li-O 2 Batteries
journal, November 2013


A nanostructured cathode architecture for low charge overpotential in lithium-oxygen batteries
journal, August 2013


Ruthenium-Based Electrocatalysts Supported on Reduced Graphene Oxide for Lithium-Air Batteries
journal, April 2013


Catalytic Activity Trends of Oxygen Reduction Reaction for Nonaqueous Li-Air Batteries
journal, November 2011


Ruthenium nanocrystals as cathode catalysts for lithium-oxygen batteries with a superior performance
journal, July 2013


α-MnO2 nanorods grown in situ on graphene as catalysts for Li–O2 batteries with excellent electrochemical performance
journal, January 2012


A Solution-Phase Bifunctional Catalyst for Lithium–Oxygen Batteries
journal, June 2014


Charging a Li–O2 battery using a redox mediator
journal, May 2013


Disproportionation in Li–O2 Batteries Based on a Large Surface Area Carbon Cathode
journal, October 2013


Evidence for lithium superoxide-like species in the discharge product of a Li–O2 battery
journal, January 2013


Raman Evidence for Late Stage Disproportionation in a Li–O2 Battery
journal, July 2014


Interfacial Effects on Lithium Superoxide Disproportionation in Li-O 2 Batteries
journal, January 2015


Hypothalamic S1P/S1PR1 axis controls energy homeostasis
journal, September 2014


Carbon materials for electrochemical capacitors
journal, December 2010


Carbon properties and their role in supercapacitors
journal, June 2006


KOH and NaOH activation mechanisms of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with different structural organisation
journal, January 2005


Limitations in Rechargeability of Li-O 2 Batteries and Possible Origins
journal, September 2012


Twin Problems of Interfacial Carbonate Formation in Nonaqueous Li–O 2 Batteries
journal, March 2012


Current density dependence of peroxide formation in the Li–O2 battery and its effect on charge
journal, January 2013


Efficiency of ab-initio total energy calculations for metals and semiconductors using a plane-wave basis set
journal, July 1996


Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple
journal, October 1996


Projector augmented-wave method
journal, December 1994


Semiempirical GGA-type density functional constructed with a long-range dispersion correction
journal, January 2006


Works referencing / citing this record:

Understanding the Reaction Chemistry during Charging in Aprotic Lithium–Oxygen Batteries: Existing Problems and Solutions
journal, February 2019


Defect Chemistry in Discharge Products of Li-O 2 Batteries
journal, November 2018


Carbon- and binder-free 3D porous perovskite oxide air electrode for rechargeable lithium–oxygen batteries
journal, January 2017


Lithium-air batteries: Challenges coexist with opportunities
journal, April 2019