A novel Co(phen)2/C catalyst was prepared by coating cobalt(II) phenanthroline (phen) chelate on BP2000 carbon black and then heat treating in an inert atmosphere. The obtained Co(phen)2/C product with 1.0 wt% cobalt loading exhibits similar morphology and porosity characteristics to those of the bare BP2000. X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrate a face-centered cubic (fcc) α-Co phase embedded in the carbon support after pyrolysis. Charge/discharge tests of the lithium-oxygen cells using the prepared Co(phen)2/C catalyst show high discharge capacities of 4870 mAh g-1 (0.05 mA cm-2 ), 3353 mAh g-1 (0.1 mA cm-2 ) and 3220 mAh g 1 (0.15 mA cm-2 ), respectively. The Co(phen) 2 /C cathode exhibits reasonable reversibility with capacity retention of 1401 mAh g-1 ( 0.1 mA cm-2 ) after 10 cycles. The superior electrochemical performance of the prepared Co(phen)2/C catalyst and low cost of the phenanthroline chelating agent indicate that Co(phen)2/C is a promising cheap catalyst for lithium-air batteries.
WANG HongLIAO XiaoZhenJIANG QiZhongYANG XiaoWeiHE YuShiMa ZiFeng
