The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has designed a new organic cathode material for lithium batteries. The material uses sulfur as the core, and has a higher energy density, more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly than traditional cathode materials in lithium batteries.
Everyday necessities such as smart phones and electric cars require lithium batteries to provide energy. As people's demand for such products continues to grow, scientists have been studying how to optimize cathode materials to improve the overall performance of lithium battery systems.
In addition to solving the energy challenges facing battery systems, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory are working on material designs for sustainable batteries. To find a sustainable cathode material that provides high energy density, scientists have chosen a safe and abundant element-sulfur.
"Sulfur can form a lot of bonds, which means it can capture more lithium, thereby increasing energy density. And sulfur is also better than cathode materials "The traditional elements of light are lighter, which can give electric cars a longer range."
When designing the new cathode material, the researchers chose an organic disulfide compound composed of carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen instead of the heavy metals in traditional lithium batteries, which are not very environmentally friendly. But while sulfur batteries are safer and have higher energy density, they also face other challenges.
Shadike said: "When the battery is charged and discharged, sulfur will turn into a bad compound, dissolve in the electrolyte, and diffuse into the entire battery, causing adverse reactions. We have designed a cathode material that allows sulfur atoms Attach to an organic pillar to stabilize the sulfur. "
Researchers said the research could improve the performance of high-performance lithium batteries that use sulfur-based cathode materials.