Surface Properties and Electrochemical Performance of Carbon Materials for Air Electrodes of Lithium-Air Batteries

The electrochemical properties of air electrodes for lithium-air batteries using various kinds of carbon materials were investigated in an organic electrolyte of 1 mol l−1 LiPF6/PC. High-surface-area carbons such as Ketjen Black EC600JD exhibited large discharge capacities of more than 700 mAh g−1, which were roughly proportional to the surface areas. The high-performance carbons had very similar pore distributions. Moreover, pore distribution measurements revealed that carbons with larger numbers of mesopores delivered larger discharge capacities.