Abstract

Multifunctional batteries with enhanced safety performance have received considerable attention for their applications at extreme conditions. However, few batteries can endure a mix-up of battery polarity during charging, a common wrong operation of rechargeable batteries. Herein, a polarity-switchable battery based on the switchable intercalation feature of graphite is demonstrated. The unique redox-amphoteric intercalation behavior of graphite allows a reversible switching of graphite between anode and cathode, thus enabling polarity-switchable symmetric graphite batteries. The large potential gap between anion and cation intercalation delivers a high midpoint device voltage (≈average voltage) of ≈4.5 V. Further, both the graphite anode and cathode are kinetically activated during the polarity switching. Consequently, polarity-switchable symmetric graphite batteries exhibit a remarkable cycling stability (96% capacity retention after 500 cycles), a high power density of 8.66 kW kg-1 , and a high energy density of 227 Wh kg-1 (calculated based on the total weight of active materials in both anode and cathode), which are superior to other symmetric batteries and recently reported dual-graphite or dual-carbon batteries. This work will inspire the development of new multifunctional energy-storage devices based on novel materials and electrolyte systems.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call