‘Ultimate’ anode for next-generation batteries to become more efficient

Source: · MINING.COM · | October 31, 2021

Source: Electric car charging port. (Image from Public Domain Pictures).

A recent study by researchers at Korea’s Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology found that high concentration electrolyte (HCE) significantly improves Li+ ion transport at lower temperatures and thermal stability of solid-electrolyte interface at higher temperatures, thereby increasing the cycling performance of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). 

In the article published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, the scientists explain that, compared to lithium-ion batteries, LMBs have a very high energy density and charge very quickly. Yet, they suffer from low current efficiency, poor cyclability and are prone to li-dendrite formation— or excess lithium deposition on the electrodes. 

So far, research has found that using high salt concentration electrolytes (HCE) diluted with ether-based solvents can solve these problems and improve performance. However, a proper understanding of how HCE dilution affects the working of LMBs over a wide range of working temperatures is still a lingering question.

This is where the DGIST experts come in. After exploring the effect of HCE dilution on lithium metal batteries’ cycle over a wide range of temperatures, the paper’s senior authors, Hongkyung Lee and Hochun Lee concluded that HCEs are often vicious and that diluting them can increase the ion migration within the cell and improve wetting of electrodes.