Aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries as an energy storage system of superfast charging

Abstract

Due to the energy crisis within recent decades, renewable energies such as solar, wind and tide energies have received a lot of attention. However, these renewable energies are dependent on the time and season. Consequently, energy storage systems are needed to fully utilize these energies including their connection with smart grids. Aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries (ARLBs) may be an ideal energy storage system due to its excellent safety and reliability. However, since the introduction of ARLBs in 1994, the progress on improving their performance has been very limited. Recently, their rate performance, especially superfast charging performance, reversible capacity and cycling life of their electrode materials were markedly improved. The present work reviews the latest advances in the exploration of the electrode materials and the development of battery systems. Also the main challenges in this field are briefly commented on and discussed. Broader contextFor large-scale energy storage systems, their safety and reliability are more challenging than those required for electric vehicles. New rechargeable batteries are urgently needed. It has been well realized that an aqueous electrolyte is one of the safest choices for rechargeable batteries. In addition, the ionic conductivity of aqueous electrolytes is higher than those of nonaqueous and solid electrolytes, which is one prerequisite for a fast redox reaction, i.e., fast charge and discharge processes. In the case of aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries (ARLBs), the rst was invented in 1994. Only until recently has great progress been achieved. The main reasons are ascribed to the nanostructuring and surface coating on their electrode materials. The reversible capacities of their electrode materials are markedly increased, which can be similar to those achieved in organic electrolytes. Their cycling life is excellent. For example, in the case of LiMn 2 O 4 , its capacity retention can be 93% aer 10 000 full cycles. In addition, their electrode materials and the ARLBs can be charged at a super fast rate, which is comparable with gasoline lling for car engines. These progresses show that ARLBs provide another promising choice as a power source for smart grids and hybrid electric vehicles, and can assist the power sources of electric vehicles and range-extenders.

Using Polypyrrole Coating to Improve Cycling Stability of NaTi2(PO4)3as an Aqueous Na-Ion Anode

“…There are two different morphologies present in the PPy-DBSA: a larger primary particle on the order of 20-100 μm with a glassy morphology and relatively smooth fracture surfaces, and smaller, isometric secondary particles interspersed with a particle size of around 0.1-3 μm. For the composites NTP-PPy-8020 and NTP-PPy-955, assuming spherical particles and densities of 2.8 g/cm 3 and 1.8 g/cm 3 for NTP and PPy-DBSA respectively, the predicted thickness of coatings is ∼23 nm and ∼8 nm. SEM of the composites (Figs.…”

“…The higher conductivity of aqueous electrolytes allows for thicker electrodes, low cost electrolyte salts such as Li 2 SO 4 and Na 2 SO 4 can be used in place of LiPF 6 , and nonwoven cellulose separators can be used in place of more expensive porous polyolefins. [3][4][5][6] Many possible anode and cathode materials exist for use in aqueous cells including: LiMn 2 7 7,9-11,15,19-27 as anode materials. While a significant amount of research has been carried out on the failure mechanism of cathode materials, little has been done to elucidate the anode material role in battery failure in aqueous electrolytes.…”

Transition metal oxides/hydroxides nanoarrays for aqueous electrochemical energy storage systems

“…As an important part of ARBs, aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries (ARLBs) use lithium intercalation compounds as one or two electrodes based on redox reactions and a lithium-containing aqueous solution as the electrolyte [105]. Tang et al [106] successfully prepared LiMn 2 O 4 nanotube arrays with an exposed (400) planes by using multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a sacrificial template.…”

Polymer Electrolytes Based on Borane/Poly(ethylene glycol) Methyl Ether for Lithium Batteries

“…GPEs at lithium anode/electrolyte interface inhibit dendrite formation on lithium anode. Previously, GPEs based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF) [12], poly(vinylidene fluoride cohexafluoropropylene) P(VdF-co-HFP) [5,13], poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) [14,15], and poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) [16] have been reported by several groups.…”

“…Solid polymer electrolyte seems to be an alternative to solve the safety problem, but the low ionic conductivity at room temperature is not enough to cover the required performance. The other alternative is aqueous electrolyte lithium ion batteries which promise higher safety due to nonflammability or toxicity of water [5,6]. Narrow electrochemical stability window of water (1.23 V) as a consequence of low energy density and instability of electrode materials prevents its applications.…”