Magnesium batteries: Current state of the art, issues and future perspectives

Abstract

Summary “...each metal has a certain power, which is different from metal to metal, of setting the electric fluid in motion...” Count Alessandro Volta. Inspired by the first rechargeable magnesium battery prototype at the dawn of the 21st century, several research groups have embarked on a quest to realize its full potential. Despite the technical accomplishments made thus far, challenges, on the material level, hamper the realization of a practical rechargeable magnesium battery. These are marked by the absence of practical cathodes, appropriate electrolytes and extremely sluggish reaction kinetics. Over the past few years, an increased interest in this technology has resulted in new promising materials and innovative approaches aiming to overcome the existing hurdles. Nonetheless, the current challenges call for further dedicated research efforts encompassing fundamental understanding of the core components and how they interact with each other to offering new innovative solutions. In this review, we seek to highlight the most recent developments made and offer our perspectives on how to overcome some of the remaining challenges.

Interface-Induced Renormalization of Electrolyte Energy Levels in Magnesium Batteries

“…In this regard batteries based on divalent magnesium (Mg) have received increasing attention. 6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The theoretical volumetric capacity of a Mg anode, 3833 mAh/cm 3 , is nearly double that of monovalent Li, 2046 mAh/cm 3 . 8, 16-17 A Mg-based battery may also possess advantages in safety and cost compared to Li systems.…”

“…10 The stability of the anode/electrolyte interface also remains a point of concern: In contrast to Li-ion systems, where the formation of an SEI limits the rate of electrode corrosion and electrolyte decomposition, the existence and desirability of an SEI on the surface of a Mg anode remains a matter of debate. [11][12][18][19][20] Aurbach has argued that an SEI is undesirable in Mg batteries since the resulting film is not amenable to facile Mg-ion transport. 8 Figure 1 and the preceding discussion highlight the importance of the electrolyte's electronic structure (i.e., HOMO-LUMO positions) in controlling electrolyte decomposition and the tendency for SEI formation.…”

Manganese Dioxide As Rechargeable Magnesium Battery Cathode

“…However, low-operation voltage (1.2 V) and capacity (theoretically 120 mAh g −1 ) limit the energy density of Chevrel phase to at most ~20% of typical LIB cathode such as LiCoO2 (Aubach et al, 2000). A crucial hurdle toward the development of practical rMB is therefore to find suitable cathodes meeting the requirements of energy density, cyclability, and rate capability Mohtadi and Mizuno, 2014;Muldoon et al, 2014;Bucur et al, 2015;Huie et al, 2015;Song et al, 2016;Zhang and Ling, 2016a).…”

Magnesium-sulfur battery: its beginning and recent progress

“…The research work on Mg batteries in general has been timely reviewed and thoroughly discussed, [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][18][19][20] so that we will focus on the properties of Mg electrolytes in view of the application to S cathodes. Thereafter, we will illustrate the progress that is being made on Mg-S battery and discuss future prospects for high-energy Mg and Mg-S batteries.…”

“…So far, only a few types of conventional intercalation materials have been identified that are capable of storing Mg 2+ ions reversibly. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Thus, the challenges to realize the rechargeable Mg battery technology are not only the improvement of the electrolyte toward high oxidative stability, but also the discovery of cathode materials enabling high performance of Mg batteries.…”