An O2 Electrode for a Rechargeable Lithium Battery

能源储存在应对全球变暖方面发挥着重要作用。开发多种存储技术至关重要。其中最有前途的是可充电锂电池。这种电池是混合动力电动汽车的首选技术（大约30%的二氧化碳排放来自运输），它们可以对清洁能源的储存做出关键贡献，包括微电网和离网应用。目前的可充电锂电池主要由石墨负极、有机电解质和LiCoO2作为正极组成。锂离子在充电时从层状嵌层化合物LiCoO2中移除，在放电时重新插入。储能受到LiCoO2电极（0.5 Li/Co, 130 mAhg-1）的限制。世界范围内所有旨在改进正插层电极的研究都只能希望将储能提高一倍，达到1 Li/Tm （300 mAhg-1）。我们提出了一种可充电锂电池的阶跃变化，通过用多孔碳电极取代LiCoO2电极，并允许电池中的Li+和e-与空气中的O2反应。与LiCoO2相比，存储能量的能力可以提高5-10倍，O2的供应实际上是无限的，并且成本显著降低（LiCoO2是当前电池中最昂贵的组件）。我们的初步研究表明，O2电池是可充电的，可以维持循环。该提案解决了实现这种基于非水氧电极的全新高能量存储电池所需的许多材料问题。

Energy storage has an important role to play in addressing global warming. It is vital to develop a number of storage technologies. One of the most promising is the rechargeable lithium battery. Such batteries are the technology of choice for hybrid electrical vehicles (some 30% of CO2 emissions arise from transport) and they can make a critical contribution to the storage of clean energy, including for micro-grid and off-grid applications.Currently rechargeable lithium batteries are composed of a graphite negative electrode, an organic electrolyte and LiCoO2 as the positive electrode. Li is removed from the layered intercalation compound LiCoO2 on charging and re-inserted on discharge. Energy storage is limited by the LiCoO2 electrode (0.5 Li/Co, 130 mAhg-1). All the research taking place worldwide aimed at improving the positive intercalation electrode can only hope to double the energy storage to 1 Li/Tm (300 mAhg-1). We propose a step change in rechargeable lithium batteries by replacing the LiCoO2 electrode with a porous carbon electrode and allowing Li+ and e- in the cell to react with O2 from the air. The capacity to store energy can be raised by 5-10 times compared with LiCoO2, supply of O2 is in-effect infinite and the cost is reduced significantly (LiCoO2 is the most expensive component of current batteries). Our preliminary studies have shown that the O2 cell is rechargeable and can sustain cycling. The proposal addresses a number of the materials issues necessary to realise this radically new high energy storage battery based on a non-aqueous O2 electrode.