In-situ construction of CoS2@NC hierarchical binder-free cathode for advanced Li–CO2 batteries

A well-defined CoS2@NC(CS-500) hierarchical binder-free catalyst cathode is constructed through in-situ grown of ZIF-67 on carbon cloth and high-temperature carbonization. The well-dispersed CoS2 on the scaffold provides abundant reactive sites for CO2 reduction and evolution. The permanent tunnels inherited from ZIF-67 is favourable for Li+ transfer and CO2 diffusion. The binder-free design and N doped carbon skeleton facilitate the electron delivery, thus facilitating the fast cathode reaction kinetics. As a result, the CS-500 derived Li-CO2 batteries presents superior discharge capacity (19000 mA h g−1 at 200 mA g−1) and cycle performance (90 cycles) as well as low overpotential of 0.82 V. This work provides inspiration for developing MOF derived cathode catalysts for advanced Li-CO2 batteries.