A research team at Texas A&M thought of incorporating carbon nanotubes into the electrodes of lithium metal batteries to achieve higher and safer charging. Scientists at the school's engineering school have focused their research on improving the battery architecture. It is reported that lithium ions in traditional lithium batteries will move back and forth between the two poles during charging and discharging. The anode material is usually made of a mixture of graphite and copper.
New electrode (from: Texas A&M/Juran Noh)
The research was conducted at the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, and the research focused on battery architecture with great potential. When a traditional lithium-ion battery is charged and discharged, lithium ions move back and forth between the cathode and the anode, which is usually made of a mixture of graphite and copper.
However, the research team found that using pure lithium metal may be a better choice. Not only does it provide a very high energy density (the capacity is ten times that of ordinary lithium-ion batteries), but it also makes the charging process faster and safer.
In fact, in a study last year, lithium metal anodes have been described as a key to'breaking the current energy density bottleneck of lithium ion chemical reactions.' But there is still the obstacle of dendrites in front of the researchers.
Due to the uneven distribution of lithium ions, these tree structures will accumulate on the anode surface. As the dendrites grow, they may puncture the battery cells, causing the battery to quickly lose energy, or even short circuit to catch fire
The good news is that the research team at Texas A&M University has found an ultra-light and highly conductive carbon nanotube solution. Its design is similar to another study in 2018, that is, the use of carbon nanotube film to inhibit the growth of dendrites.
Research map (from: Nano Letters)
On the anode of the lithium metal battery, the research team used carbon nanotubes to construct a three-dimensional porous scaffold, and bound molecules that could bind to lithium ions.
Through a series of experiments to confirm the concentration of molecular binding, the research team finally finalized a new battery anode that can prevent dendrites from accumulating on its surface.
Research author Juran Noh said: With the right amount of binding molecules, we can'decompress' the carbon nanotube scaffold at certain locations so that lithium ions pass through and bind to the entire surface of the scaffold instead of accumulating outside.
Thanks to this uniform and safe distribution, lithium metal batteries can carry a larger and safer current (the anode carries five times the current of traditional lithium batteries), which not only has a higher energy density, but also can be used in a shorter time Complete charging.
Details of this research have been published in the recently published "Nano Letters" (Nano Letters).
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