The Li–CO2 battery: a novel method for CO2 capture and utilization

We report a novel primary Li–CO2 battery that consumes pure CO2 gas as its cathode. The battery exhibits a high discharge capacity of around 2500 mA h g−1 at moderate temperatures. At 100 °C the discharge capacity is close to 1000% higher than that at 40 °C, and the temperature dependence is significantly weaker for higher surface area carbon cathodes. Ex-situ FTIR and XRD analyses convincingly show that lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) is the main component of the discharge product. The feasibility of similar primary metal–CO2 batteries based on earth abundant metal anodes, such as Al and Mg, is demonstrated. The metal–CO2 battery platform provides a novel approach for simultaneous capturing of CO2 emissions and producing electrical energy.