Precise Engineering of Octahedron-Induced Subcrystalline CoMoO₄ Cathode Catalyst for High-Performance Li–Air Batteries

Lithium–air batteries (LABs) have attracted intense interest due to their ultrahigh energy density. However, the performance of LABs has to depend on modified electrolytes, gas selective film and Li anode protection. In this study, firstly it is reported that Mo-O octahedron induced subcrystalline scheelite CoMoO₄ catalyst achieves a high performance LABs performance based only on the high catalytic activity in air. The subcrystalline CoMoO₄ catalyst obtains a specific capacity of 12 000 mAh g⁻¹, and ultralong cycle stability over 270 cycles at 1000 mA g⁻¹ in ambient air. This study demonstrates an ultrastable crystal structure and surface conditions of the CoMoO₄ catalyst toward a corrosive environment and complex air-involved reactions. A theoretical calculation further reveals that the polyhedral framework in the scheelite CoMoO₄ can provide a highly stable catalytic surface for the OER/ORR reactions, furthermore, its repulsive nature toward H₂O and CO₂ can efficiently avoid side reactions and slow the corrosion of the Li anode in air. Moreover, the induced octahedron enhances the adsorption energies to O₂ and LiO₂, and accelerates the catalytic reactions in air. The present study provides a conceptual breakthrough to find highly active cathode catalysts for LABs.