Carbide composite nanowire as bifunctional electrocatalyst for lithium oxygen batteries

Abstract

Producing low–cost non–precious metal catalysts in large scales to be used as air–cathodes for efficient oxygen reduction and evolution reactions in Li–O2 batteries is a demanding task. Herein, we report a simple technique for the synthesis of a carbide composite comprising molybdenum and tungsten with a robust nanowire structure. When applied as an air–cathode electrocatalyst in Li–O2 batteries, the nanowire composite delivered high specific discharge capacity with reversibility and cyclability. This work provides a novel approach for tailoring nano–architectures and thereby achieving high–power Li–air batteries. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd