Carbon based electrode materials for lithium/oxygen batteries

FUEL 229

Mojtaba Mirzaeian, mojtaba.mirzaeian@strath.ac.uk and P. J. Hall, p.j.hall@strath.ac.uk. Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 75 Montrose Street, James Weir Building, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Energy storage in rechargeable lithium ion batteries is limited by the cathode electrode and does not exceed 200mAh/g.The capacity of a lithium ion battery system can be enhanced remarkably by using a completely different approach which combines Li as anode directly with oxygen as cathode active material in a Li/O2 cell. The O2 electrode is a carbon having a porous structure in which several electrochemical and transport processes occur simultaneously. The main challenge in this issue is the development of new carbon electrode materials to improve the kinetics of the O2 electrode and enhance the capacity, energy and power densities and the stability of the energy delivered by these systems. In this work we aim to synthesize high surface area carbons based on R/F aerogels to enhance the performance of Li/O2 cells. The porous structure of the cathode electrode is discussed with emphasize on the synthesis routes and porosity and surface area characterization of the carbon based electrode.