α-MnO2nanorods grown in situ on graphene as catalysts for Li–O2 batteries with excellent electrochemical performance

Abstract

Through in situ nucleation and growth of α-MnO₂ nanorods on graphene nanosheets (GNs), a α-MnO₂ nanorod/GN hybrid was synthesized and employed as the catalyst for non-aqueous lithium oxygen (Li–O₂) batteries. The α-MnO₂/GN hybrid showed excellent catalytic property. It was demonstrated that the catalytic performance of α-MnO₂ for ORR and OER was not only associated with the morphology and size of the particles but also with their combination with graphene. The developed in situ synthetic strategy can also be applied to prepare analogous MO_x/GN hybrids used in Li–O₂ batteries and other energy storage systems.