Nickel oxide nanoparticles decorated highly conductive Ti3C2 MXene as cathode catalyst for rechargeable Li–O2 battery

Abstract With a remarkably high theoretical energy storage capacity, a rechargeable lithium oxygen battery has attracted enormous attention. However, inert kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction process generate low round-trip efficiency and poor cyclability. NiO materials are recognized as efficient and low-cost catalysts for Li–O2 battery. Here, we report a controllable approach to synthesize metal oxide decorated highly conductive Ti3C2 composite as cathode catalyst for rechargeable Li–O2 battery. In this composite, multi-layered Ti3C2 MXene enacts a superior host to load NiO nanoparticles on account of the open layered structure, the good electronic conductivity and the excellent chemical stability. Serving as Li–O2 battery cathode catalyst, NiO/Ti3C2 nanomaterials deliver a high initial capacity of 13350 mAh g−1 and good cycling performance of over 90 rounds at a current density of 100 mA g−1 and 500 mA g−1, respectively. Such properties of the prepared composite are attributed to the excellent conductivity of MXene and the high catalytic activity of NiO. As far as we know, this is the prior report that MXenes based materials are made into Li–O2 battery cathodes catalyst and proved to have a potential application in cathode materials of Li–O2 battery.