MnCo 2 O 4 Nanowires Anchored on Reduced Graphene Oxide Sheets as Effective Bifunctional Catalysts for Li–O 2 Battery Cathodes

A hybrid composite system of MnCo 2 O 4 nanowires (MCO NWs) anchored on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets was prepared as the bifunctional catalyst of a Li–O 2 battery cathode. The catalysts can be obtained from the hybridization of one‐dimensional MCO NWs and two‐dimensional RGO nanosheets. As O 2 ‐cathode catalysts for Li–O 2 cells, the MCO@RGO composites showed a high initial discharge capacity (ca. 11092.1 mAh g carbon −1 ) with a high rate performance. The Li–O 2 cells could run for more than 35 cycles with high reversibility under a limited specific capacity of 1000 mAh g carbon −1 with a low potential polarization of 1.36 V, as compared with those of pure Ketjenblack and MCO NWs. The high cycling stability, low potential polarization, and rate capability suggest that the MCO@RGO composites prepared here are promising catalyst candidates for highly reversible Li–O 2 battery cathodes.