Compared with traditional lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries have important advantages: lower material prices and lighter weight. Lithium-sulfur batteries of equal quality are twice as powerful as lithium-ion batteries. This energy density is critical in portable electronics and electric vehicles.
Lithium-sulfur batteries have many advantages over traditional lithium-ion batteries (pictured), including lower material prices and higher energy densities. Image source: Kristoferb Wikimedia
Increasing energy density is important in reducing energy storage costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transportation and energy manufacturing.
However, after several charge and discharge cycles, the lithium-sulfur battery will become unstable and the two electrodes will malfunction, which makes it difficult to climb the "throne" of energy storage. In particular, lithium ions chemically react with sulfur to form compounds that migrate and reduce battery storage capacity.
"When this happens, they form a barrier on the surface, preventing lithium from coming into contact with the cathode," said Victor Batista, a professor of chemistry at Yale University in the United States.
In an article published in the March 30 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Batista and collaborators demonstrated a composite film that would significantly increase the life of lithium-sulfur batteries.
The researchers first simulated which materials and structures allowed the lithium-sulfur battery to last longer and calculated how the molecules in the cathode reacted with different materials. The team then made a film using graphene (a monoatomic density carbon structure) and an organic polymer (having a tree-like structure). The results showed that the film had an average thickness of 90 nm.
The film allows the lithium-sulfur mixture to be in one place and organizes them to flow to the electrolyte, degrading battery performance. Through this mechanism, scientists have shown that they can extend the life of their recycling without deteriorating the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. "The best part is that with these materials, we can make a stable battery with a very small amount of film," Batista said.
The co-author of the paper, Jianbing Jiang, a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale Institute of Energy Sciences, emphasized that the hybrid film is made from commercially available basic materials, which makes it inexpensive and easy to use on a large scale.
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