Enhancing lithium-air battery performance through CoPc@CNT composites: Electrochemical analysis and insights

Cobalt-phthalocyanine (CoPc) catalysts have shown great promise for enhancing the performance of lithium‑oxygen (Li-O2) batteries, offering benefits such as efficient lithium storage, high reversible capacity, improved cycle performance, and enhanced charge and discharge capacity. In this study, we focused on the synthesis of CoPc‑carbon nanotube (CNT) composites with porous structure. The composites were prepared by synthesizing CoPc compounds and interacting them with CNTs using a 3D ball mill shaker. Comprehensive spectroscopic techniques including NMR, FTIR, and UV were employed to characterize the newly synthesized phthalonitrile and phthalocyanine compounds. The surface morphologies of the composite materials were investigated using SEM, EDX, mapping and TEM analysis, enabling the determination of particle sizes and chemical compositions. XRD and XPS analyses confirmed that the composite structures were consistent with the existing literature. BET analysis revealed multilayer isotherm for the composites, indicating their favorable properties. The composite catalysts were incorporated into batteries and their performance was evaluated through various electrochemical tests. Notably, the CoPc1-CNT composite exhibited a remarkable discharge capacity of 3400 mAh g−1catalyst in the prepared battery.