Li−Air Rechargeable Battery Based on Metal-free Graphene Nanosheet Catalysts

Metal-free graphene nanosheets (GNSs) were examined for use as air electrodes in a Li-air battery with a hybrid electrolyte. At 0.5 mA cm(-1), the GNSs showed a high discharge voltage that was near that of the 20 wt % Pt/carbon black. This was ascribed to the presence of sp(3) bonding associated with edge and defect sites in GNSs. Moreover, heat-treated GNSs not only provided a similar catalytic activity in reducing oxygen in the air, but also showed a much more-stable cycling performance than GNSs when used in a rechargeable Li-air battery. This improvement resulted from removal of adsorbed functional groups and from crystallization of the GNS surface into a graphitic structure on heat treatment.