Enhanced Cyclability of Lithium–Oxygen Batteries with Electrodes Protected by Surface Films Induced via In Situ Electrochemical Process

Although the rechargeable lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) batteries have extremely high theoretical specific energy, the practical application of these batteries is still limited by the instability of their carbon‐based air‐electrode, Li metal anode, and electrodes, toward reduced oxygen species. Here a simple one‐step in situ electrochemical precharging strategy is demonstrated to generate thin protective films on both carbon nanotubes (CNTs), air‐electrodes and Li metal anodes simultaneously under an inert atmosphere. Li–O2 cells after such pretreatment demonstrate significantly extended cycle life of 110 and 180 cycles under the capacity‐limited protocol of 1000 mA h g−1 and 500 mA h g−1, respectively, which is far more than those without pretreatment. The thin‐films formed from decomposition of electrolyte during in situ electrochemical precharging processes in an inert environment, can protect both CNTs air‐electrode and Li metal anode prior to conventional Li–O2 discharge/charge cycling, where reactive reduced oxygen species are formed. This work provides a new approach for protection of carbon‐based air‐electrodes and Li metal anodes in practical Li–O2 batteries, and may also be applied to other battery systems. A novel in situ one‐step electrochemical treatment strategy to simultaneously fabricate protective surface films on carbon‐based air‐electrodes and Li metal anodes initiates continuous protection for both electrodes, as well as promoting significantly enhanced cycling stability of Li–O2 batteries. This work presents an efficient method to address the instability issues associated with carbon‐based electrodes and Li metal anodes in Li–O2 batteries.