Development, challenges, and prospects of carbon-based electrode for lithium-air batteries

Lithium-air batteries (LABs) possess great potential for efficient energy storage applications to resolve future energy and environmental issues. Although LABs attract much research because of their extremely high theoretical energy density, there are still various technical limitations to be overcome before their full transition. It is well-recognized that the performance of LABs is governed mainly by electrochemical reactions that occur on the surface of the cathode. Widespread interest in various carbons and their applicability as cathode materials in LABs arises as a result of their highly specific surface area and porosity, their light weight, and their low cost of fabrication. In this respect, we introduce advances in the development of carbon-based oxygen electrodes, focusing particularly on the design and synthesis of various types of carbon materials, metal catalysts/carbon, and heteroatom-doped carbon materials. An introductory session will be provided for basic knowledge and will review current challenges of LABs, in which the main focus will be on the carbon-based air cathode. Cutting-edge technologies involving the synthesis and modeling of the carbon-based electrode structure will be discussed, followed by an intensive review on current efforts regarding tuning carbon reactivity toward an enhanced oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction. Through a multiscale viewpoint, this chapter provides the fundamental and state-of-art performance of carbon-based electrodes for LABs, and fully analyzes the remaining scientific and technological challenges. Finally, we will briefly introduce the prospect of formulating a strategy for future research and the consolidation of carbon-based electrodes for the successful implementation of LABs.