Conducting Nanopaper: A Carbon-Free Cathode Platform for Li–O₂ Batteries

Abstract

For a lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) battery air electrode, we have developed a new all-in-one platform for designing a porous, carbon-free conducting nanopaper (CNp), which has dual functions as catalyst and current-collector, composed of one-dimensional conductive nanowires bound by a chitin binder. The CNp platform is fabricated by a liquid diffusion-induced crystallization and vacuum filtration methods. Employing less than 1 wt % chitin to connect the conductive skeleton, pores and active sites for reactions have become maximized in self-standing CNp. The carbon-free CNp enables the Li–O2 air electrode to be more stably operated compared to carbon nanofibers and other CNps bound by PVDF and PMMA; side reactions are largely suppressed on the CNp. The versatile chitin is highlighted for diverse conducting nanopapers that can be used in various applications.