papers Facile in situ synthesis of parallel porous oxidized N-CNTA - CNTA clusters as efficient OER electrocatalysts for rechargeable lithium-air - air batteries

One-dimensional carbon nanotube-based materials have been widely studied as a potential cathode electrocatalyst for rechargeable lithium-air batteries. Deciphering the oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on carbon nanotube-based materials is of great significance for advancing the development of highly active metal-free electrocatalysts. Herein, the enhanced spatial limiting effect on three-dimensional oxidized nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube array (N-CNTA) clusters and the correlation between surface oxygen-containing groups and charge overpotentials of the cathode are examined by SEM, FTIR, XPS, and EIS to improve the discharge-charge performance of lithium-air batteries. These results indicate that the high diffusion-reaction kinetics promotes the decomposition of discharge solid product Li 2 O 2(s) combined with spatial limiting effect and the effective recovery of cathode morphology in the local clusters. Additionally, we further reveal the origin of the enhanced OER electrocatalytic activity of carbon atoms on oxidized N-CNTA clusters situated near the N-C=O functional groups. Our study provides comprehensive understanding of OER on oxygenated carbon nanotube-based materials and an available way to investigate the electrocatalysis of threedimensional porous carbon electrocatalysts doped with heteroatoms for rechargeable lithium-air batteries.