MnCo2O4 nanowires anchored on reduced graphene oxide sheets as effective bifunctional catalysts for Li-O2 battery cathodes.

A hybrid composite system of MnCo2 O4 nanowires (MCO NWs) anchored on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets was prepared as the bifunctional catalyst of a Li-O2 battery cathode. The catalysts can be obtained from the hybridization of one-dimensional MCO NWs and two-dimensional RGO nanosheets. As O2 -cathode catalysts for Li-O2 cells, the MCO@RGO composites showed a high initial discharge capacity (ca. 11092.1 mAh gcarbon (-1) ) with a high rate performance. The Li-O2 cells could run for more than 35 cycles with high reversibility under a limited specific capacity of 1000 mAh gcarbon (-1) with a low potential polarization of 1.36 V, as compared with those of pure Ketjenblack and MCO NWs. The high cycling stability, low potential polarization, and rate capability suggest that the MCO@RGO composites prepared here are promising catalyst candidates for highly reversible Li-O2 battery cathodes.