A highly reversible, low-strain Mg-ion insertion anode material for rechargeable Mg-ion batteries

Abstract

Rechargeable magnesium (Mg) batteries have been attracting increasing attention recently because of the abundance of the raw material, their relatively low price and their good safety characteristics. However, rechargeable Mg batteries are still in their infancy. Therefore, alternate Mg-ion insertion anode materials are highly desirable to ultimately mass-produce rechargeable Mg batteries. In this study, we introduce the spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 as an Mg-ion insertion-type anode material with a high reversible capacity of 175 mA h g À1 . This material possesses a low-strain characteristic, resulting in an excellent long-term cycle life. The proposed Mg-storage mechanism, including phase separation and transition reaction, is evaluated using advanced atomic scale scanning transmission electron microscopy techniques. This unusual Mg storage mechanism has rarely been reported for ion insertion-type electrode materials for rechargeable batteries. Our findings offer more options for the development of Mg-ion insertion materials for long-life rechargeable Mg batteries. NPG Asia Materials (2014) 6, e120; doi:10.1038/am.2014.61; published online 22 August 2014 INTRODUCTIONWith growing concern about the environment, climate change and a sustainable energy supply, studies have been focused on the development of green energy storage systems with high volumetric energy density, low price and improved safety. Compared to lithium battery systems, 1-6 rechargeable magnesium (Mg) batteries are considered to be a prospective candidate for reversible energy storage because of the great abundance of Mg resources, better chemical stability of metallic Mg in humid and oxygen-containing environments and higher volumetric capacity. [7][8][9] In particular, the increasing attention to rechargeable Mg batteries is due to the pioneering work of Aurbach's group. 10-14 Some progress has been achieved toward designing electrode materials 10,15-24 and electrolytes 25-29 for rechargeable Mg batteries. Nevertheless, rechargeable Mg batteries are still in their infancy. Therefore, alternative Mg-ion insertion anode materials are highly desirable to ultimately mass-produce rechargeable Mg-ion batteries. Recently, we have discovered the feasibility of utilizing spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 , which is well known as a 'zero-strain' anode material for long-life stationary lithium-ion batteries, as an anode material for rechargeable Mg batteries. In this work, we further show that spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 nanoparticles (LTO NPs) can exhibit excellent Mg storage performance under optimized conditions for rechargeable Mg batteries. This material shows a high reversible capacity of B175 mA h g À1 and superior cycling performance. By using an advanced atomic resolution scanning transmission electron

High‐Rate and Long Cycle‐Life Alloy‐Type Magnesium‐Ion Battery Anode Enabled Through (De)magnesiation‐Induced Near‐Room‐Temperature Solid–Liquid Phase Transformation

“…[8,[15][16][17][18][19] Despite these remarkable features, progress toward the development of practical MIBs has been impeded partly by the absence of suitable electrolytes that are compatible with Mg metal as the anode. [7,[20][21][22][23][24] A promising way to circumvent this electrolyte issue involves the use of Mg alloy as the anode instead of pure Mg metal. [7,[20][21][22][23][24] A promising way to circumvent this electrolyte issue involves the use of Mg alloy as the anode instead of pure Mg metal.…”

Research Frontiers in Energy‐Related Materials and Applications for 2020–2030

“…Aqueous based Li-ion, and aqueous metal-ion batteries are the most promising candidates for stationary energy storage since low cost and toxicity are the most important aspects for such applications. [63][64][65] At the same time, the development of theoretically higher energy density technologies, such as Li-S or Li-air systems is most promising for mobility and electronic applications, and all these different technologies should be pursued in parallel. [61,62] Last but not the least, in recent years different metal-ion chemistries such as Zn-ion, Al-ion, and Mg-ion batteries have been proposed as promising technologies for wearable devices.…”

Studies on the Effect of Nano-Sized MgO in Magnesium-Ion Conducting Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries

“…Considering the negligible danger and enhanced security, studies on rechargeable magnesium batteries are expected to have ample promise for development in the future [2][3][4][5][6]. However, rechargeable Mg batteries suffer from several serious limitations, e.g., metallic Mg/electrolyte incompatibility and lack of suitable Mg 2+ ion-conducting electrolytes.…”

“…However, rechargeable Mg batteries suffer from several serious limitations, e.g., metallic Mg/electrolyte incompatibility and lack of suitable Mg 2+ ion-conducting electrolytes. It has been reported that the irreversible deposition/dissolution of the Mg electrode in its simple salts/non-aqueous aprotic solvents is caused by the formation of a dense passivation layer on the Mg surface, resulting from its reaction with the electrolyte [5][6][7][8][9][10]. So more and more researchers focus on developing solid-state Mg 2+ ion-conducting electrolytes to achieve rechargeability [11][12][13].…”