p-Block-metal bismuth embedded in N/P co-doped carbon nanorods for kinetics-enhanced rechargeable lithium-oxygen batteries

Rechargeable lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs) are considered one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage devices due to their extremely high theoretical energy density. However, the slow redox kinetics of the oxygen cathode leads to low coulombic efficiency and poor cycling performance, which limits the development of high-performance LOBs. Herein, Bi@NPC heterostructure nanorods are designed with the assistance of p-block metal Bi and successfully synthesized as bifunctional cathode catalysts for LOBs. Experimental and theoretical calculations show that Bi@NPC electrode can significantly reduce overpotential during discharge/charge processes due to the easily tunable localized p-orbitals and resulting versatile electronic structures. Benefiting from p-orbital electrons regulation of Bi atoms, the Bi@NPC electrode exhibited superior specific capacity over 11852.6 mAh g⁻¹, outstanding rate capabilities, and ultralong cycle stability over 83 cycles at 200 mA g⁻¹ with the fixed capacity of 500 mAh g⁻¹. This work reveals an efficient pathway to synthesize p-block metal-based catalysts for high-performance LOBs.