Towards real Li-air batteries: A binder-free cathode with high electrochemical performance in CO2 and O2

Abstract The current research on lithium-air batteries usually focuses on Li-O 2 batteries without taking into account the essential involvement of CO 2 in the operation of Li-air batteries. In this work a composite of N-doped worm-like carbon with embedded MoFeNi and MoC nanoparticles was prepared via a simple floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition (FCCVD) method. The composite shows high CO 2 reduction and evolution activities. When used as a binder-free cathode for Li-CO 2 batteries, low overpotential and long cycleability are achieved which are comparable with those of Li-O 2 batteries. The composite produced in this work show promise as a binder-free cathode for lithium-air batteries operated in the presence of O 2 and CO 2 .