Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Lithiophilic seeds and rigid arrays synergistic induced dendrite-free and stable Li anode towards long-life lithium-oxygen batteries

Recently, Dr. Yue Li and co-workers (from Tianjin University) prepared lithiophilic aluminum oxide (Al2O3) seeds induced rigid carbon nanotube arrays/three-dimensional graphene (Al2O3-CNTA/3DG) as an effective host material for the Li anode of lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs). It was found that the Al2O3 nanoparticles greatly enhanced the rigidity of CNTA, yielding significant inhibition of Li dendrite growth. Additionally, lithiophilic Al2O3 nanoparticles reacted with Li+ to form LiAlO2 nanoparticles, which facilitated Li+ transport and stabilized the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film. Finally, the LOB assembled with the Al2O3-CNTA/3DG-Li anode and CNTA/3DG cathode exhibited enhanced redox kinetics and could be stably cycled 160 times at a current density of 100 mA g-1 and limited capacity of 500 mAh g-1. This work provided a new strategy for solving the issues of Li dendrite growth and short cycling life for LOBs.