Solid-state Li O2 Battery Research Articles

Highly efficient and stable solid-state Li–O2 batteries using a perovskite solid electrolyte

Solid-state Li–O2 batteries using integrated solid electrolyte–cathode architectures of a perovskite conductor could operate safely in an O2 atmosphere at 25–100 °C.

Quasi-Solid-State Rechargeable Li–O2 Batteries with High Safety and Long Cycle Life at Room Temperature

As interest in electric vehicles and mass energy storage systems continues to grow, Li-O2 batteries are attracting much attention as a candidate for next-generation energy storage systems owing to their high energy density. However, safety problems related to the use of lithium metal anodes have hampered the commercialization of Li-O2 batteries. Herein, we introduced a quasi-solid polymer electrolyte with excellent electrochemical, chemical, and thermal stabilities into Li-O2 batteries. The ion-conducting QSPE was prepared by gelling a polymer network matrix consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, methacrylated tannic acid, lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate, and nanofumed silica with a small amount of liquid electrolyte. The quasi-solid-state Li-O2 cell consisted of a lithium powder anode, a quasi-solid polymer electrolyte, and a Pd3Co/multiwalled carbon nanotube cathode, which enhanced the electrochemical performance of the cell. This cell, which exhibited improved safety owing to the suppression of lithium dendrite growth, achieved a lifetime of 125 cycles at room temperature. These results show that the introduction of a quasi-solid electrolyte is a potentially new alternative for the commercialization of solid-state Li-O2 batteries.

Enhanced performance of solid-state Li–O2 battery using a novel integrated architecture of gel polymer electrolyte and nanoarray cathode

The present work proposes a novel strategy to fabricate an integrated architecture of gel polymer electrolyte (GPE)–nanoarray cathode for lithium–O2 batteries (LOBs). As a proof-of-concept experiment, the photo-initiated in situ polymerization of GPE was carried out via incorporating the precursor solution in advance into a self-standing binder-free oxygen electrode of Co3O4 nanosheets array grown on carbon cloth (Co3O4@CC), forming an integrated GPE–Co3O4@CC architecture. The performance of the solid-state LOBs using the GPE–Co3O4@CC assembly is greatly enhanced compared to the counterparts with a traditional cell structure, in which GPE was sandwiched by a lithium metal and a cathode. The enhanced performance is ascribed to the combination of the in situ polymerization of GPE and the versatile structure of nanoarray electrode, which results in abundant interfacial contacts between GPE and electrode. This work presents an alternative way to develop high-performance solid-state LOBs by combining the advantages of both gel polymer electrolytes and nanoarray electrodes.

Solar-driven efficient Li2O2 oxidation in solid-state Li-ion O2 batteries

Although solid-state Li-O2 battery displays the advantages of high safety and energy density as an energy storage device, the lack of success would be attributed to the unfavorable charge overpotential arisen from solid-solid interface. To address the above thorny problem, herein, a solar-driven solid-state Li-ion O2 battery is proposed and realized, wherein the charge process is achieved via direct photo-oxidation of discharge product (Li2O2) by photoexcited holes from ZnS photocatalyst. The solar-driven charge process enables the solid-state Li-ion O2 battery with a low charge voltage of 2.08V and high electric energy efficiency (113%, based on output electric energy/input electric energy). These encouraging results provide an alternative way to reduce the charge overpotential of solid-state Li-O2 batteries.

Boosting the Cycle Life of Li–O2 Batteries at Elevated Temperature by Employing a Hybrid Polymer–Ceramic Solid Electrolyte

With the increasing demands of electric vehicle and grid storage, the solid-state Li–O2 battery is generally considered as an alternative cost-effective energy-storage device because of its high energy density and safety. However, there are several challenges that need to be overcome to meet the stringent requirements imposed by diverse applications, especially at high temperature. In this work, an ion-conducting hybrid solid electrolyte (HSE) integrating polymer electrolyte with ceramic electrolyte (1:1 w/w) has been successfully designed and prepared, which displays high Li+ transference number (0.75) and ionic conductivity (0.32 mS cm–1) at room temperature. The solid-state Li–O2 battery enabled by the as-prepared HSE delivers a superior long life (350 cycles, >145 days) at 50 °C to that of the conventional ether-based nonaqueous Li–O2 battery. The use of a HSE could lead to a new avenue for the development of high-performance solid-state Li–O2 batteries.

A Unique Hybrid Quasi-Solid-State Electrolyte for Li-O2 Batteries with Improved Cycle Life and Safety.

In the context of the development of electric vehicle to solve the contemporary energy and environmental issues, the possibility of pushing future application of Li-O2 batteries as a power source for electric vehicles is particularly attractive. However, safety concerns, mainly derived from the use of flammable organic liquid electrolytes, become a major bottleneck for the strategically crucial applications of Li-O2 batteries. To overcome this issue, rechargeable solid-state Li-O2 batteries with enhanced safety is regarded as an appealing candidate. In this study, a hybrid quasi-solid-state electrolyte combing a polymer electrolyte with a ceramic electrolyte is first designed and explored for Li-O2 batteries. The proposed rechargeable solid-state Li-O2 battery delivers improved cycle life (>100 cycles) and safety. The feasibility study demonstrates that the hybrid quasi-solid-state electrolytes could be employed as a promising alternative strategy for the development of rechargeable Li-O2 batteries, hence encouraging more efforts devoted to explore other hybrid solid-state electrolytes for Li-O2 batteries upon future application.