Preparation of pyridine N-doped metal-free Li–O2 battery cathode by one-step

Lithium-oxygen (Li–O 2 ) batteries are an ideal energy storage device, but the problems of the cathode still hinder their development. In this work, a metal-free, binder-free and in situ pyridine N-doped cathode of Li–O 2 batteries is synthesized in one step by electrospinning. Meanwhile, the effect of carbonization temperature on cathode is discussed in detail. The content of pyridine N in the cathode is the highest at the carbonization temperature of 700 °C, and it is also the most effective for the reversible formation and decomposition of Li 2 O 2 . In terms of Li–O 2 batteries performance, when the charge and discharge current density is 100 mA g −1 and the discharge voltage is greater than 2 V, the discharge specific capacity and discharge capacity can reach 27900 mAh g −1 and 27.9 mAh respectively. In addition, when the limited specific capacity is 1000 mAh g −1 , the batteries can work stably for 85 cycles under the same conditions. Therefore, the high-performance cathode which synthesized in one step by electrospinning is expected to promote the commercial application of Li–O 2 batteries.