A composite of Co nanoparticles highly dispersed on N-rich carbon substrates: an efficient electrocatalyst for Li–O ₂ battery cathodes

In this work, we present a facile sol-gel method to prepare a composite of Co nanoparticles highly dispersed on N-rich carbon substrates (Co-C composite). The assembled Li-O2 batteries with the composite as a cathode catalyst showed lower overpotential and better cyclability, and the improved performance may be attributed to the superior electrocatalytic activity of the Co-C composite.