Assessing n‐type organic materials for lithium batteries: A techno‐economic review

Abstract

The high demand for critical minerals such as lithium, copper, nickel, and cobalt, required for lithium‐ion batteries, has raised questions regarding the feasibility of maintaining a steady and affordable supply of raw materials for their production. In the last years, researchers have shifted their attention toward organic materials, which are potentially more widely available, affordable, and sustainable due to the ubiquitous presence of the constituent organic elements. The n‐type materials have a redox mechanism analogous to that of lithium‐ion cathodes and anodes, hence they are suitable for a meaningful comparison with the state‐of‐the‐art technology. While many reviews have evaluated the properties of organic materials at the material or electrode level, herein, the properties of n‐type organic materials are assessed in a complex system, such as a full battery, to evaluate the feasibility and performance of these materials in commercial‐scale battery systems. The most relevant cathode materials for organic batteries are reviewed, and a detailed cost and performance analysis of n‐type material‐based battery packs using the BatPaC 5.0 software is presented. The analysis considers the influence of electrode design choices, such as the conductive carbon content, active material mass loading, and electrode density, on energy density and cost. The potential of n‐type organic materials as a low‐cost and sustainable solution for energy storage applications is highlighted, while emphasizing the need for further advancements of organic materials for energy storage applications.image

Strain‐rich high‐entropy perovskite oxide of (La0.8Sr0.2)(Mn0.2Fe0.2Cr0.2Co0.2Ni0.2)O3 for durable and effective catalysis of oxygen redox reactions in lithium‐oxygen battery

“…With the increased demand for renewable energy, there is an urgent need to develop electrochemical energy storage systems with excellent performance, including high energy density, superior rate capability, and good cyclability. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Owing to its extremely high energy density (around 3600 Wh kg −1 ), the aprotic Li-O 2 battery, one of the most technologically advanced energy conversion and storage systems, has received much attention. 8-10 However, its widespread application is limited because of the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction and…”

Research progresses on metal‐organic frameworks for sodium/potassium‐ion batteries

“…[5][6][7] However, the cost of using LIBs has steadily increased, attributed to the scarcity of reserves of lithium, uneven distribution of mineral resources, and high recovery expenses. [8][9][10] In contrast, sodium and potassium belong to the same main group as lithium, possessing similar physical and chemical properties, and their content in the crust is hundreds of times higher than that of lithium element (Table 1). 11 The distribution of mineral resources is uniform, reducing mining and usage costs.…”

“…Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have become one of the most widely used batteries in the world owing to their high energy density and long cycle life 5–7 . However, the cost of using LIBs has steadily increased, attributed to the scarcity of reserves of lithium, uneven distribution of mineral resources, and high recovery expenses 8–10 . In contrast, sodium and potassium belong to the same main group as lithium, possessing similar physical and chemical properties, and their content in the crust is hundreds of times higher than that of lithium element (Table 1).…”