Stabilizing electrochemical Li–O2 batteries with a metal-based cathode of PdNi on Ni nonwoven fabric

The design of a nanoporous cathode for Li–O2 batteries that can achieve high chemical stability and superior electrochemical performance remains a formidable challenge. A novel approach for the fabrication of nanoengineered PdNi alloys directly coated onto Ni nonwoven fabric (PdNi/NiNF) obtained through electrospinning has been proposed. On the basis of the contributions of the porous structure, the prepared metal-based cathodes can exhibit high chemical and mechanical stabilities, high catalytic activity, and high conductivity. In this design, the major side reactions were excluded when compared with popularly used carbon cathodes, and excellent cycling stability (266 cycles) could be achieved. The proposed cathode exhibited a high discharge capacity of 15 700 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1, which was 5 times higher than those reported for carbon-free cathodes.