N, F Co-Doped Carbon Material Self-Supporting Cathode for High-Performance Lithium-Oxygen Batteries.

The Li-O battery has emerged as a promising energy storage system due to its exceptionally high theoretical energy density of 3500 Wh kg. However, the sluggish kinetics associated with the formation and decomposition of discharge product LiO poses several challenges in Li-O batteries, including excessive over-potential, limited rate performance, and reduced actual specific energy. Consequently, the development of cost-effective cathode catalysts with enhanced catalytic activity and long-term stability represents a viable approach to address these challenges. In this study, commercial melamine foam is utilized as a precursor material which was subjected to pyrolysis at elevated temperatures with PVDF to synthesize N, F co-doped self-supporting carbon cathode (NF-NSC). Remarkably, thanks to the synergistic effects of N, F heteroatomic in conjunction with the inherent three-dimensional reticular porous structure, NF-NSC exhibited enhanced electrochemical performance when utilized in Li-O batteries. Specifically, the NF-NSC cathode demonstrated an impressive discharge specific capacity of up to 35204 mAh g alongside a low over-potential (0.86 V) and excellent cycling stability (146 cycles).