An improved high-performance lithium–air battery

Abstract

Although dominating the consumer electronics markets as the power source of choice for popular portable devices, the common lithium battery is not yet suited for use in sustainable electrified road transport. The development of advanced, higher-energy lithium batteries is essential in the rapid establishment of the electric car market. Owing to its exceptionally high energy potentiality, the lithium-air battery is a very appealing candidate for fulfilling this role. However, the performance of such batteries has been limited to only a few charge-discharge cycles with low rate capability. Here, by choosing a suitable stable electrolyte and appropriate cell design, we demonstrate a lithium-air battery capable of operating over many cycles with capacity and rate values as high as 5,000 mAh g(carbon)(-1) and 3 A g(carbon)(-1), respectively. For this battery we estimate an energy density value that is much higher than those offered by the currently available lithium-ion battery technology.

High‐Performance Li‐O2 Batteries with Trilayered Pd/MnOx/Pd Nanomembranes

“…The curves show that the cathodic peaks during the first and second cycles are similar, while the anodic peaks are much different. The anodic peak during the first cycle appears at ≈4.0 V and it shifts negatively to ≈3.4 V during the second cycle, which is in agreement with a previous report 3. The behavior of the first cycle may be ascribed to an electro‐activation process of the freshly prepared electrodes, including the activation of catalyst, the diffusion of oxygen into the pores of carbon, as well as the immersion of the electrolyte into the whole electrode.…”

Aqueous and nonaqueous lithium-air batteries enabled by water-stable lithium metal electrodes

“…In order to achieve high specific energy and reasonable power density in an engineered battery, the lithium-air cells based on diglyme catholytes would require a fourfold improvement in reversible capacity at four times the current density shown here. Recently, several other groups have reported encouraging cycling of the O 2 electrode in nonaqueous electrolytes based on organic solvents such as sulfoxides [8,34] and amides [9]; neither of which is stable to bare metallic lithium metal. Assuming that developers are successful in identifying nonaqueous electrolytes that permit reversible cycling of oxygen electrode, it appears likely practical cells will require a fully protected lithium electrode (an absolute for aqueous Li-Air).…”

A Bifunctional Organic Redox Catalyst for Rechargeable Lithium–Oxygen Batteries with Enhanced Performances

“…Importantly, the potential of this process meets the essential requirement of decomposing Li 2 O 2 . An additional redox process was identified at 2.96 V, which is the theoretical potential of the formation of Li 2 O 2 1, 2, 3, 4. We assign this process to n‐doping of PTMA 35, 38.…”