Multi-functional integrated design of a copper foam-based cathode for high-performance lithium–oxygen batteries

Lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs) with extraordinarily high energy density are some of the most captivating energy storage devices. Designing an efficient catalyst system that can minimize the energy barriers and address the oxidant intermediate and side-product issues is the major challenge regarding LOBs. Herein, we have developed a new type of integrated cathode of Cu foam-supported hierarchical nanowires decorated with highly catalytic Au nanoparticles which achieves a good combination of a gas diffusion electrode and a catalyst electrode, contributing to the synchronous multiphase transport of ions, oxygen, and electrons as well as improving the cathode reaction kinetics effectively. Benefiting from such a unique hierarchical architecture, the integrated cathode delivered superior electrochemical performance, including a high discharge capacity of up to 11.5 mA h cm-2 and a small overpotential of 0.49 V at 0.1 mA cm-2, a favorable energy efficiency of 84.3% and exceptional cycling stability with nearly 1200 h at 0.1 mA cm-2 under a fixed capacity of 0.25 mA h cm-2. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations further reveal the intrinsic direct catalytic ability to form/decompose Li2O2 during the ORR/OER process. As a consequence, this work provides an insightful investigation on the structural engineering of catalysts and holds great potential for advanced integrated cathode design for LOBs.