A new
lithium-air battery design promises unprecedented energy density
A potentially transformative technology for
electrifying transportation
By Alfonso
Maruccia
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The big picture: Among the many
alternative solutions to traditional lithium-ion batteries,
researchers are experimenting with lithium-air designs. A new
innovation in the space could solve many of the issues previously
exhibited by this technology.
A new
paper published inScience describes
the chemistry behind a novel lithium-air battery, an innovative design
which could potentially provide way more energy density than
traditional li-ion battery technology. It could serve as a real
breakthrough for the battery market and a possible revolution for
transportation and heavy-duty vehicles such as airplanes, trains and
even submarines.
The new battery can sustain more than 1,000 recharge
cycles with just a small five percent drop in energy efficiency and
zero impact on coulombic
efficiency. This means that
all the initial battery material was still active, with no
irreversible side reactions during the charge/recharge cycles.
The design conceived by
researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology uses a solid
electrolyte based on a ceramic-polyethylene oxide composite, which is
safer and more efficient compared to liquid electrolytes. Ceramic and
polymer materials used as solid electrolytes have their own downsides
when used separately but when combined, they can provide both the high
ionic conductivity of ceramic and the high stability of the polymer.
The composite electrolyte was able to work at room temperature, a
first for lithium-air batteries. According to Mohammad Asadi,
assistant professor of chemical engineering at Illinois Tech, the
solid-state electrolyte "contributes around 75 percent of the total
energy density." There is still room for further improvement and by
minimizing the thickness without compromising performance, the new
design could achieve a "very, very high" energy density.
The lithium-air battery could potentially store one kilowatt-hour per
kilogram or higher, which is four times greater than current
lithium-ion technology. A lithium-air battery based on lithium oxide
(Li2O) formation, the Science article says, can theoretically deliver
an energy density that is "comparable to that of gasoline."
Going forward, Asadi plans to work with private industry partners to
try and optimize the design for manufacturing. The researcher says the
new technological breakthrough has opened "a big window of
possibility" to actually bring lithium-air batteries to the market.
