Lead-based anode doubles energy storage, and lithium battery capacity expands

In recent years, with the huge demand for the use of renewable energy and the increasing attention to environmental pollution, secondary batteries (rechargeable batteries or accumulators) represented by lithium batteries-which can be used in other forms Energy storage technology, which is converted into electrical energy and stored in the form of chemical energy, continues to innovate the energy system.

At this stage, lithium-ion batteries have become the most important power source for electric vehicles. Its development has undergone three generations of technology development. Among them, lithium cobalt oxide cathode is the first generation. Lithium manganate and lithium iron phosphate are the second generation, and the ternary technology is the third generation.

With the development of positive and negative electrode materials in the direction of higher gram capacity and the gradual maturity and improvement of safety technology, higher energy density cell technology is moving from the laboratory Move towards industrialization and apply it to more scenarios.

In terms of expanding the capabilities of today's lithium-ion batteries, various alternative materials from salt, silicon to microwave plastics are constantly being developed by researchers. Among them, lead has become an attractive choice due to its abundance, low cost and familiarity with battery systems.

As one of the two electrodes of a lithium battery, the anode contains lithium ions during charging and releases them during discharge. Graphite is the material of choice for lithium battery anodes today, and serves well for lithium battery anodes, maintaining stability over thousands of charging cycles. However, there are still many areas for improvement in lithium batteries, such as storage capacity. In this regard, the potential of lead is generally optimistic about the academic community.

Recently, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory reported a new lithium-ion battery electrode design that uses low-cost materials such as lead and carbon. Contributors to this key discovery also include scientists from Northwestern University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST).

The research team started with large lead oxide particles, which were combined with carbon powder and shaken for several hours. This converts them into smaller microscopic particles embedded in a carbon matrix, all encapsulated in a thin lead oxide shell.

This new anode material has been tested in a laboratory battery. Its energy storage capacity is twice that of conventional graphite anodes. It has more than 100 charging cycles and is The process proved to be completely stable. The research team also found that adding a small amount of fluoroethylene carbonate to the standard electrolyte can significantly improve performance.

The research team started with large lead oxide particles, which were combined with carbon powder and shaken for several hours. This converts them into smaller microscopic particles embedded in a carbon matrix, all encapsulated in a thin lead oxide shell.

This new anode material has been tested in a laboratory battery. Its energy storage capacity is twice that of conventional graphite anodes. It has more than 100 charging cycles and is The process proved to be completely stable. The research team also found that adding a small amount of fluoroethylene carbonate to the standard electrolyte can significantly improve performance.

The researchers believe that their findings challenge the current understanding of this electrode material, and provide a way for the design of low-cost, high-performance anode materials for transportation and stationary energy storage. Exciting meaning.