The lattice match
between LiO2 and Ir3Li may be responsible for the LiO2 discharge
product found for
the Ir-rGO cathode material.
(January 13, 2016) While lithium-ion batteries have transformed our everyday
lives, researchers are currently trying to find new chemistries that could
offer even better energy possibilities. One of these chemistries, lithium-air,
could promise greater energy density but has certain drawbacks as well.
Now, thanks to research at the U.S. Department of Energy's
(DOE's) Argonne National Laboratory, one of those drawbacks may have been
overcome.
All previous work on lithium-air batteries showed the same
phenomenon: the formation of lithium peroxide (Li2O2), a solid precipitate that
clogged the pores of the electrode.
In a recent experiment, however, Argonne battery scientists
Jun Lu, Larry Curtiss and Khalil Amine, along with American and Korean
collaborators, were able to produce stable crystallized lithium superoxide
(LiO2) instead of lithium peroxide during battery discharging. Unlike lithium
peroxide, lithium superoxide can easily dissociate into lithium and oxygen,
leading to high efficiency and good cycle life.
"This discovery really opens a pathway for the
potential development of a new kind of battery," Curtiss said.
"Although a lot more research is needed, the cycle life of the battery is
what we were looking for."