Interfacial charge redistribution in ultrafine ruthenium nanoparticle-decorated N-modified carbon catalysts accelerates oxygen redox for lithium-oxygen batteries

• • Ru@NC catalyst reduces charge-discharge polarization to 0.89 V, a significant improvement over conventional catalysts that often exceed 1.0 V, directly enhancing energy efficiency and reducing heat generation in Li-O2 batteries. • • The battery achieves a prolonged lifespan exceeding 200 cycles, indicating stable cycling performance critical for practical deployment in grid-scale energy storage. • • The Mott-Schottky heterointerface induces a built-in electric field that accelerates oxygen intermediate conversion, as evidenced by the formation of nanosheet-like Li2O2 with low interfacial impedance, which is key to reducing charge transfer resistance. • • The catalyst's moderate LiO2 affinity promotes a solution-mediated growth mechanism, yielding Li2O2 nanosheets that improve cathode kinetics and rate capability, as demonstrated by superior rate performance.