Lewis‐Acidic PtIr Multipods Enable High‐Performance Li–O 2 Batteries

The sluggish oxygen reaction kinetics concomitant with the high overpotentials and parasitic reactions from cathodes and solvents is the major challenge in aprotic lithium‐oxygen (Li–O 2 ) batteries. Herein, PtIr multipods with a low Lewis acidity of the Pt atoms are reported as an advanced cathode for improving overpotentials and stabilities. DFT calculations disclose that electrons have a strong disposition to transfer from Ir to Pt, since Pt has a higher electronegativity than Ir, resulting in a lower Lewis acidity of the Pt atoms than that on the pure Pt surface. The low Lewis acidity of Pt atoms on the PtIr surface entails a high electron density and a down‐shifting of the d‐band center, thereby weakening the binding energy towards intermediates (LiO 2 ), which is the key in achieving low oxygen‐reduction‐reaction (ORR) and oxygen‐evolution‐reaction (OER) overpotentials. The Li–O 2 cell based on PtIr electrodes exhibits a very low overall discharge/charge overpotential (0.44 V) and an excellent cycle life (180 cycles), outperforming the bulk of reported noble‐metal‐based cathodes.