Li-air batteries have attracted intensive recent research attentions owing to their extremely high energy density that is ten times of the conventional Li-ion batteries; however, achieving this energy capability in practical Li-air batteries has been proven difficult. A wealth of efforts have been devoted to improving their stability, energy efficiency and cycle life with a bettering understanding of the reaction mechanisms. The electrochemical processes associated with the reversible formation/decomposition of Li2O2 are affected by the surrounding conditions, which often involve several side reactions. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in Li-air batteries, especially on the side reactions taking place in the electrochemical process, including the carbon corrosion in the cathodes, electrolyte degradation, and shuttle effect of redox mediator in the electrolytes as well as contaminations from the air (CO2, H2O, and N2). The main strategies to suppress or make full use of these side reactions for enhancing the Li-air batteries performance are presented. Meanwhile, we also provide perspectives on the development of Li-air batteries.

中文翻译：

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了解和抑制锂空气电池中的副反应

锂空气电池由于其极高的能量密度（是传统锂离子电池的十倍）而引起了近期的研究关注。然而，已经证明在实际的锂空气电池中实现这种能量能力是困难的。为了更好地了解反应机理，人们致力于提高其稳定性，能效和循环寿命。与Li2O2的可逆形成/分解有关的电化学过程受周围条件的影响，周围条件通常涉及多个副反应。在这篇综述中，我们总结了锂空气电池的最新进展，特别是在电化学过程中发生的副反应方面，包括阴极上的碳腐蚀，电解质的降解，氧化还原介体在电解质中的穿梭效应以及空气​​中的污染物（CO2，H2O和N2）。提出了抑制或充分利用这些副反应来增强锂空气电池性能的主要策略。同时，我们还提供了有关锂空气电池发展的观点。