A crucial step in the development of lithium–oxygen (Li–O₂) batteries is to design an oxygen cathode with high catalytic activity and stable porous structure. Achieving such design requires an integrated strategy in which porosity, conductivity, catalytic activity, and mechanical durability are all considered in a battery system. Here, we develop polypyrrole-coated carbon x-aerogels with macroscopic 3D architecture, and demonstrate their potential as oxygen cathodes for Li–O₂ batteries. This material, a novel and mechanically strong composite aerogel with polymer-cross-linked structure, not only provides effective pores that allow to store the discharge products and open channels for better oxygen diffusion, but also forms a robust 3D catalytic network that promotes both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions with improved mechanical and electrochemical stability. This work highlights the synergy between the 3D porous, conductive carbon aerogel framework and the polypyrrole catalytic layer, which maintains stable catalytic activity without deactivation and provides a more effective gas–liquid–solid interface for rapid oxygen absorption and diffusion, thereby leading to significant improvements in the capacity, rate capability and cycle life of the cathode.

中文翻译：

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锂氧电池中聚吡咯与碳x气凝胶的协同作用†

锂-氧（Li-O ₂）电池开发中的关键步骤是设计一种具有高催化活性和稳定多孔结构的氧阴极。实现这样的设计需要一种综合策略，其中在电池系统中都要考虑孔隙率，电导率，催化活性和机械耐久性。在这里，我们开发了具有宏观3D结构的聚吡咯涂层碳x气凝胶，并证明了它们作为Li–O _2的氧阴极的潜力电池。这种材料是一种具有聚合物交联结构的新型，机械强度高的复合气凝胶，不仅提供有效的孔，可以存储放电产物和开放的通道，以更好地扩散氧气，而且还形成了强大的3D催化网络，既促进了氧气的相互作用，又促进了氧气的吸收。还原和析出反应，具有改善的机械和电化学稳定性。这项工作强调了3D多孔导电碳气凝胶框架与聚吡咯催化层之间的协同作用，该催化层保持稳定的催化活性而不失活，并提供了更有效的气-液-固界面，可快速吸收和扩散氧气，从而带来显着改善阴极的容量，速率能力和循环寿命。