CAS team proposes sulfone-based electrolyte for Li-air batteries

14 October 2012

Researchers at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China, propose the use of a tetramethylene sulfone (TMS)-based electrolyte for rechargeable Li-O₂ batteries.

Cycle performance of Li-O2 battery with TMS based electrolyte. Zhang et al. Click to enlarge.

One of the challenges for Li-air (Li-O₂) batteries—which theoretically offer greatly enhanced energy densities— is an adequate electrolyte.

In a paper in the journal Chemical Communications the CAS team reported that using the electrolyte, without any catalysts, they obtained superior battery performances including high capacity; round-trip efficiency; and good cycle performance using the electrolyte— all which can be enhanced further with an optimized cathode.

Furthermore, the underlying mechanism why sulfone is superior over sulfoxide is analyzed. The obtained promising results would open new and exciting avenues for the development of rechargeable Li-O2 battery.

—Zhang et al.

Resources

• Xinbo Zhang and Limin Wang (2012) A Stable Sulfone Based Electrolyte for High Performance Rechargeable Li-O₂ Batteries. Chem. Commun., doi: 10.1039/C2CC36815C