New additives make lithium-sulfur battery performance lasting -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
Researchers at Monash Energy Research Institute have created a more durable, lighter and sustainable lithium-sulfur battery only by adding sugar.
With the assistance of CSIRO, the Australian national scientific institution, the Monash research team reported in Nature Communication that they had successfully stabilized the lithium-sulfur battery technology by using glucose-based additives on the positive electrode, which is called the foundation of the next generation of batteries.
Mainak Majumder, deputy director of Monash Energy Research Institute, said: "In less than ten years, this technology can enable vehicles including electric buses and trucks to drive from Melbourne to Sydney without charging, and can also achieve innovation in the field of transport and agricultural UAVs."
In theory, lithium-sulfur batteries can store two to five times more energy than lithium batteries of the same weight. The problem is that the electrode will deteriorate rapidly and damage the battery during use. There are two reasons for this - the sulfur positive electrode is weakened due to large expansion and contraction, and cannot be absorbed by lithium, while the negative lithium electrode is polluted by sulfur compounds.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
Last year, the Monash team showed that they can open the structure of sulfur electrode to adapt to expansion and make it easier to be absorbed by lithium. Now, by adding sugar to the network structure of the electrode, they have stabilized the sulfur to prevent it from moving and covering the lithium electrode.
The test battery prototype built by the team has been proved to have at least 1000 charge-discharge cycles, while still maintaining much higher capacity than the equivalent lithium battery.
Yingyi Huang, the first author and doctoral student of the paper, said: "Therefore, it takes longer to charge each time, which prolongs the life of the battery. And the battery should not be made of foreign, toxic and expensive materials."
The second author, Dr. Mahdokht Shaibani, a researcher at Monash University, said: "Although our team has solved many challenges in battery cathode, we still need to further innovate the protection of lithium metal anode, so that this promising technology can be applied in a large scale."
With the assistance of CSIRO, the Australian national scientific institution, the Monash research team reported in Nature Communication that they had successfully stabilized the lithium-sulfur battery technology by using glucose-based additives on the positive electrode, which is called the foundation of the next generation of batteries.
Mainak Majumder, deputy director of Monash Energy Research Institute, said: "In less than ten years, this technology can enable vehicles including electric buses and trucks to drive from Melbourne to Sydney without charging, and can also achieve innovation in the field of transport and agricultural UAVs."
In theory, lithium-sulfur batteries can store two to five times more energy than lithium batteries of the same weight. The problem is that the electrode will deteriorate rapidly and damage the battery during use. There are two reasons for this - the sulfur positive electrode is weakened due to large expansion and contraction, and cannot be absorbed by lithium, while the negative lithium electrode is polluted by sulfur compounds.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
Last year, the Monash team showed that they can open the structure of sulfur electrode to adapt to expansion and make it easier to be absorbed by lithium. Now, by adding sugar to the network structure of the electrode, they have stabilized the sulfur to prevent it from moving and covering the lithium electrode.
The test battery prototype built by the team has been proved to have at least 1000 charge-discharge cycles, while still maintaining much higher capacity than the equivalent lithium battery.
Yingyi Huang, the first author and doctoral student of the paper, said: "Therefore, it takes longer to charge each time, which prolongs the life of the battery. And the battery should not be made of foreign, toxic and expensive materials."
The second author, Dr. Mahdokht Shaibani, a researcher at Monash University, said: "Although our team has solved many challenges in battery cathode, we still need to further innovate the protection of lithium metal anode, so that this promising technology can be applied in a large scale."
