Lithium-sulfur batteries (Li-S) have lithium anodes, sulfur cathodes, and liquid organic electrolytes. They also have separators to regulate the orderly transfer of ions. This affordable combination delivers more energy than lithium-ion, and is safer and faster to charge too. Now there’s talk of a lithium-sulfur smart separator that makes Li-S batteries last much longer too.
Why We Need a Lithium-Sulfur Smart Separator Now
The major drawback of lithium-sulfur batteries is their ‘shuttle effect,’ that occurs as their ions move between their anodes and cathodes. “This happens because lithium polysulfide chemical substances form when the battery is in operation,” explains researcher Önder Tekinalp.
“These substances move between the positive anode and the negative cathode in the battery. They cause lithium-sulfur batteries to degrade quickly, lose capacity, and have a short lifespan too,” the battery scientist from Norwegian University of Science and Technology concludes.
A Modification That Stops Li-S Batteries Degrading
Önder Tekinalp and his colleagues have tackled this problem head-on, and come up with a practical solution. They have developed a ‘super-thin coating with special properties’, which they patented in the name of their University’s over-arching HiSep-II project.
This coating works in tandem with the existing separator ‘wall’. This wall is a thin sheet that prevents the anode and cathode from touching, while at the same time allowing active, charge-carrying battery ions to pass through.
When Önder Tekinalp and his university colleagues placed their coating on the outside of the separator, something quite dramatic happened. Laboratory tests proved that the lithium-sulfur battery’s life jumped from 200, to 1,000 recharge / discharge cycles.
This breakthrough discovery suggests that less-expensive modified lithium-sulfur batteries could replace lithium-ion ones in electric cars. Önder Tekinalp’s lithium-sulfur smart separator sure looks a winner. We believe his university is planning further tests, before marketing it under their HiSep-II project.
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