Modeling and experimental study of porous carbon cathodes in li-o2 cells with non-aqueous electrolyte

We performed mathematical modeling and experimental study of porous carbon air cathodes in Li-O2 cells having a non-aqueous electrolyte based on dimethylformamide (DMF). Using the method of standard contact porosimetry, we characterized the porous structure of undischarged, partially discharged, and fully discharged Ketjenblack carbon black-based air cathodes and determined that deposition of solid discharge product occurs within small mesopores with radii of up to 10 nm.We propose a novel mathematical model of air cathode, which takes into account its porous structure and accurately describes the discharge behavior of Li-O2 cells with the DMF-based electrolyte.