Ruthenium highly dispersed in low crystallinity cobalt oxide as an efficient catalyst for Li-O2 battery

The performance of Li-O2 battery can be improved by adjusting the reaction active sites of cathode catalysts. In this study, noble metal ruthenium (Ru) was successfully added to the framework of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-67 (ZIF-67) through a dual solvent method, and prepared highly dispersed noble metal ruthenium cathode catalyst material for Li-O2 battery. At the same time, the phenomenon of aggregation of precious metal ruthenium on the catalyst surface is avoided, and the atomic utilization rate of precious metals is improved. The low crystallinity cobalt oxide (ZIF-67-280) and noble metal ruthenium act as the catalytic active center together, enriching the reaction active sites of the catalyst, further improving the performance of Li-O2 battery and reducing the reaction overpotential. Compared to commercial cobalt oxides (C-Co3O4), ruthenium doped low crystallinity cobalt oxides (Ru@ZIF-67-280) has better cycle stability (272 cycles) and higher energy efficiency. © 2023 xxxxxxxx. Hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. [Display omitted] •Highly dispersed Ru was formed in ZIF-67 framework by double solvent method.•The higher utilization of Ru atom increases the type and number of active sites.•Ru doped low crystallinity cobalt oxides have better cycle stability and higher energy efficiency.