Simple air blow to charge Li-air, rechargeable, solid-state batteries using nano-engineered aerogel structures

Lithium air (Li-air) batteries have recently sparked significant research interest in battery technologies due to their high theoretical energy densities, 5–10 times higher than commercial Li-ion batteries. These cells, however, have several major flaws, such as electrode disintegration, a short cycle life, polarization losses, and air sensitivity, which prevents them from dominating the battery field. The most important challenge is to develop a high-throughput air-breathing cathode capable of delivering effective oxygen while excluding other contaminants (e.g., CO₂ and H₂O), so that ambient air can be used for intake. Here, we developed nano-engineered metal oxide-graphene aerogel matrix composites (NMOGAM), as active air breathing cathodes, specifically embedded with nanowires (Fe₂O₃) along with nanoparticles (TiO₂, dolomite CaMg(CO₃)₂)), to enhance CO₂ capture along with inner hydrophobic groups that remove water. As a result, rechargeable high-performance Li-air batteries with high electrochemical performances (up to 500 cycles in air with a capacity of 5850 mAh g⁻¹) are developed, which can be charged with a simple blow/puff of air.