Directly Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers Incorporated with Mn3O4 Nanoparticles as Bending-Resistant Cathode for Flexible Al-Air Batteries

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2020 Jan 27;10(2):216. doi: 10.3390/nano10020216.

Abstract

Al-air batteries are regarded as potential power source for flexible and wearable devices. However, the traditional cathodes of Al-air batteries are easy to be broken after continuous bending. This is why few Al-air batteries have been tested under the state of dynamic bending so far. Herein, carbon nanofibers incorporated with Mn3O4 catalyst have been prepared as bending-resistant cathodes through direct electrospinning. The cathode assembled in Al-air battery showed excellent electrochemical and mechanical stability. A high specific capacity of 1021 mAh/cm2 was achieved after bending 1000 times, which is 81.7% of that in platform state. This work will facilitate the progress of using Al-air battery in flexible electronics.

Keywords: bending-resistant cathode; electrospinning; flexible Al-air batteries.