Jun 4 2019
Scientists from Skoltech Center for Energy Science and Technology, IPCP RAS, and D.I. Mendeleev Russian University of Chemical Technology have created a new polymer cathode material for ultrafast metal-ion batteries with better characteristics.
The outcomes of the study were reported in the Journal of Material Chemistry A.
In recent decades, the global energy consumption has been increasing considerably because of population growth, industrialization, and the development of household appliances and electronics, with a noteworthy increase in the number of electric vehicles and mobile devices. Hence, there is an urgent requirement to create electrochemical energy storage technologies and devices.
Although lithium-ion batteries based on inorganic layered oxides are dominant in the market, it is difficult to further upgrade their performance. This issue can be solved by the application of organic compounds as cathode materials. Some of their benefits, which should be given importance, are charge/discharge rate capability, high energy density, and resistance to mechanical deformations.
Another vital benefit is their high environmental friendliness, as organic materials comprise of only naturally abundant elements (C, H, N, O, S) and can be acquired from renewable resources. When heavy metals are not present, their disposal can be conducted by combustion or with other methods for the recycling of household waste. Furthermore, the use of organic cathodes implies that there is no need for expensive lithium compounds anymore.
Among the various projects of Professor Pavel Troshin’s research team, particular attention is being given to cathode materials based on polyphenylamine type compounds, which is one of the most potent classes of organic cathode materials for metal-ion batteries.
Cathode materials based on polytriphenylamine and its analogues described in the literature possess outstanding characteristics in metal-ion batteries. In particular, they demonstrate high discharge potential, cyclic stability, and operate at high charge/discharge current rates. However, their low specific capacities limit the commercialization of this group of materials. Therefore, we created the task to design and study a group of new macromolecules, which potentially have a higher energy density. Some of the compounds, but one in particular, demonstrated an excellent performance while charged and discharged at the current densities of up to 200C (full charge and discharge takes 18 seconds only, editor’s note). It is important that besides lithium, we also succeeded in assembling sodium- and potassium-ion batteries based on the same material.
Filipp Obrezkov, Study First Author, PhD Student, Skoltech Center for Energy Science and Technology
Therefore, the acquired results prove the considerable potential for using organic compounds as cathodes for ultrafast metal-ion batteries. Further advancement of this project might lead to the growth of a new generation of battery materials with even higher specific capacity at a high charging rate and can fulfill the future requirements of the electric vehicles and mobile devices market.