Oxidized Laser‐Induced Graphene for Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalysis

Jibo Zhang; Muqing Ren; Luqing Wang; Yilun Li; Boris I. Yakobson; James M. Tour

Index: 10.1002/adma.201707319

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Abstract

An efficient metal‐free catalyst is presented for oxygen evolution and reduction based on oxidized laser‐induced graphene (LIG‐O). The oxidation of LIG by O2 plasma to form LIG‐O boosts its performance in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), exhibiting a low onset potential of 260 mV with a low Tafel slope of 49 mV dec−1, as well as an increased activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. Additionally, LIG‐O shows unexpectedly high activity in catalyzing Li2O2 decomposition in Li‐O2 batteries. The overpotential upon charging is decreased from 1.01 V in LIG to 0.63 V in LIG‐O. The oxygen‐containing groups make essential contributions, not only by providing the active sites, but also by facilitating the adsorption of OER intermediates and lowering the activation energy.