Better storage capacity than lithium-ion batteries? There are new developments in magnesium batteries

Recently, researchers from University College London in the United Kingdom and the University of Chicago in the United States have discovered that magnesium chromium oxide particles may be the key to the development of a new type of magnesium battery, which will have a stronger storage capacity than traditional lithium-ion batteries. Electric capacity. The research was published in the journal 'Nanoscale' of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

It is understood that this research has announced a new method of manufacturing this new material, which can reversibly store highly active magnesium ions. The research team claims that this means that they have taken another important step towards magnesium batteries. So far, only a handful of inorganic materials have shown reversible magnesium ion absorption and elimination capabilities, which is crucial for magnesium batteries.

The co-leader of the research, Dr. Ian Johnson of University College London, said: 'Lithium-ion technology is approaching its limit of ability, so for us, find other chemicals to build It is very important to produce a battery with larger capacity and simpler design. Magnesium battery technology has always been considered as a possible solution to extend the battery life of mobile phones and electric vehicles, but the selection of cathode materials has always been a challenge.'

One of the limiting factors of lithium-ion batteries is its anode. For safety reasons, low-capacity carbon rods must be used in lithium-ion batteries, because the anodes of pure lithium materials can cause dangerous short circuits and even fire. In contrast, magnesium is safer as an anode, so the combination of cathode material and magnesium will make the battery smaller but have a stronger storage capacity.

Previous studies used computer models to predict that magnesium chromium oxide (MgCr2O4) is an ideal candidate material for magnesium battery cathodes. Inspired by this, researchers at University College London obtained a 5-nanometer wide disordered magnesium chromium oxide through a rapid low-temperature reaction. Researchers at the University of Illinois compared this material with a normal 7-nanometer-wide ordered magnesium-chromium oxide for magnesium activity.

They used a series of different techniques to detect the structural and chemical changes of the two materials in the activity test. These two crystalline materials behave completely differently. Professor Jawwad Darr of University College London explained: “This indicates that future batteries may rely on disordered, unconventional structures. The importance of this research is that it can help us understand whether other materials with structural defects may be used in reversible materials. Battery storage technology.'

In the future, the research team plans to extend their research to other disordered structural materials, so as to determine that the storage capacity can be increased in the future And developed a practical magnesium battery.