Monometallic Pd Loaded on N‐CNTs by Seed Growth Method as an Efficient Catalyst for Li‐O₂ Battery

ABSTRACT The enormous potential for polarization and poor cycling performance of the cathode restrains the commercial application of Li‐O 2 batteries. Therefore, designing effective cathode catalysts for high‐performance Li‐O 2 batteries is crucial. In this study, nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotubes (N‐CNTs) modified with ultra‐low loading cubic monometallic palladium particles (mPd/N‐CNTs) were used as the cathode catalyst for the Li‐O 2 batteries. The spray pyrolysis chemical vapor deposition method synthesized N‐CNTs that have a special open 3D multi‐channel structure that benefits the three‐phase reaction interface and promotes the deposition/decomposition of thin‐film Li 2 O 2 . In addition, the seed growth method synthesized high‐efficiency catalytic activity of cubic monometallic Pd nanoparticles that encourages the decomposition of discharge products. Hence, the Li‐O 2 batteries utilize mPd/N‐CNTs as cathode catalysts to deliver a large discharge specific capacity of 11.79 mAh cm −2 , low overpotential (0.93 V), and an ultralong cycling life of 400 cycles/4800 h. Overall, this study provides a feasible idea for designing efficient and stable bifunctional catalysts with ultra‐low loading of precious metal, which could have significant implications for developing high‐performance Li‐O 2 batteries.