Charge-discharge behavior of Li-O2 cell with viologen as redox catalyst: influence of cationic charge

The high theoretical energy density of lithium-air batteries has attracted the attention of many researchers as this system is expected to fulfill the demands radically from all sectors. Unfortunately, the issues such as deposition of undesirable discharge in the cathode, formation of lithium dendrites, and decomposition of electrolytes hamper it from commercialization. In the present work, viologens carrying different positive charges were synthesized and used as a catalyst in the carbon-assisted air cathode for the first time, and its cycling performance was analyzed. The lithium air cell with monomeric viologen offered highest discharge capacity and the deposition of Li2O2 in the cycled cathode was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR analyses.