Lithium-carbon dioxide batteries have been in battery science’s job jar for a while. However the technology has proved tricky until now. That’s because they produce lithium carbonate and carbon when they discharge. While the lithium carbonate recycles, the carbon accumulates on the catalyst and that causes the battery to fail.
Carbon dioxide is a curious thing, Clean Technica comments. They say we need to find new uses that would help lower the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. That is a noble goal indeed!
New Hope for Lithium-Carbon Dioxide Batteries at Illinois
Science Daily reports that University of Illinois researchers at Chicago may have cracked the code on this. Apparently, they have found a way to make lithium-carbon dioxide batteries fully rechargeable. Moreover they report they have achieved 500 consecutive recycles.
“The accumulation of carbon not only blocks the active sites of the catalyst and prevents carbon dioxide diffusion. But it also triggers electrolyte decomposition in a charged state,” explains first author Alireza Ahmadiparidari. However, her team used different materials in their new experiment. This encourages more thorough recycling of both lithium carbonate and carbon, they say.
Maximizing the Storage Capacity of Lithium in Carbon Materials
This Time They Used Molybdenum Disulfide as the Cathode Catalyst
The University of Illinois team used a new combination of materials for their breakthrough lithium-carbon dioxide batteries.This time they used molybdenum disulfide as a cathode catalyst. And they combined this with a hybrid electrolyte to help incorporate carbon in the cycling process.
This combination of materials “produces a single multi-component composite of products – rather than separate products – making recycling more efficient”. This is potentially exciting stuff. That’s because lithium-carbide dioxide has a specific energy density seven times greater than lithium-ion batteries. “Our unique combination of materials helps make this the first workable carbon-neutral lithium carbon dioxide battery,” their report adds.
They hope the greater efficiency will provide a longer-lasting cycle life, enabling future benefits for advanced energy storage systems. The Argonne Laboratory performed the theoretical calculations necessary to demonstrate the reversible battery operation.
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