LR41 battery

Major breakthrough! New material combination creates high energy density LR41 battery, with a capacity of 88% after 1000 cycles

Currently, lithium-ion batteries are the most popular solution for mobile power. However, in some applications, it reaches its limits. This applies especially to electric vehicles, where lightweight and compact vehicles with a large range are required. Lithium metal batteries may be another option. They are characterized by high energy density, which means that they store a lot of energy per mass or volume. Nevertheless, stability remains a problem because the electrode materials react with traditional electrolyte systems.

The pursuit of high energy density, especially the next generation of lithium batteries above 500Whkg-1, has become a global research hotspot. However, the unstable interface between the anode or cathode and the electrolyte at high voltage limits the improvement of energy density.

Since the electrolyte is the only shared component of the cathode and anode, electrolyte engineering becomes a common and facile strategy to stabilize the electrode/electrolyte interface on both the cathode and the anode.

Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Helmholtz Institute for Electrochemical Energy Storage Ulm (HIU) have now found a solution. As Joule reports, they used a promising new material combination. The high energy density was achieved with a cobalt-poor, nickel-rich layered cathode (NCM88). Using a commonly applied commercially available organic electrolyte (LP30), however, the stability left much to be desired. The storage capacity decreased with the number of cycles. Professor Stefano Passerini, Director of the HIU and Head of the Battery Group Electrochemistry, explains why, In the electrolyte LP30, particles crack on the cathode. Within these cracks, the electrolyte reacts and destroys the structure. In addition, thick mosses form a lithium-containing layer on the anode. For this reason, the scientists used a non-volatile, flame-retardant, bi-anionic ionic liquid electrolyte (ILE). With the help of the ILE, structural modifications to the nickel-rich cathode could be significantly reduced, says Dr. Guk-Tae Kim of the HIU Battery Group Electrochemistry Group.

Capacity of 88% after 1,000 cycles

Result: The lithium metal battery with NCM88 cathode and ILE electrolyte achieved an energy density of 560 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), based on the total weight of the active materials. Its initial storage capacity was 214 milliamp hours per gram of cathode material (mAhg-1). After 1,000 cycles, 88% of the capacity was retained. The average Coulombic efficiency, the ratio of discharge capacity to charge capacity, was 99.94%.

This novel electrolyte engineering strategy may pave the way for future research on the design and use of solid sacrificial additives for high-energy lithium metal batteries. With the high safety of the battery, the researchers have taken an important step towards carbon-neutral mobility.

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