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Argonne/Univ of St. Andrews researchers explore activated lithium metal oxides as high capacity electrodes for Li-air batteries

Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory in the US and the University of St. Andrews in the UK report on the use of activated Lithium-metal-oxides as catalytic electrodes for high-capacity lithium-air batteries in the journal Electrochemical Solid-State Letters. Argonne began ramping up its efforts on Li-air batteries in 2009. (Earlier post.)

The team investigated Lithium-metal oxides with a high formal Li2O content—such as Li5FeO4 (5Li2O•Fe2O3) and a Li2MnO3•LiFeO2 composite ({Li2O•MnO2}•{Li2O•Fe2O3}) as electrocatalysts for primary and rechargeable Li-O2 (lithium-air) cells.

Activation occurs predominantly by Li2O removal, either electrochemically or chemically by acid-treatment. Superior electrochemical behavior is obtained if activation occurs by acid-treatment; Li2MnO3•LiFeO2 catalysts provide 2,516 mAh/g (carbon) corresponding to 931 mAh/g (electrocatalyst + carbon) during the initial discharge. The reaction is reasonably reversible during the early cycles. The approach has implications for designing electrocatalysts that participate through electrochemical Li2O extraction/reformation reactions, offering exceptionally high capacities.

—Trahey et al.

Resources

  • L. Trahey, C. S. Johnson, J. T. Vaughey, S.-H. Kang, L. J. Hardwick, S. A. Freunberger, P. G. Bruce, and M. M. Thackeray (2011) Activated Lithium-Metal-Oxides as Catalytic Electrodes for LiO Cells. Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 14, A64 doi: 10.1149/1.3555366

Comments

HarveyD

One more possible fine tunning of the Lithium battery to increase overall performance. All the R & D going on should produce a superior battery by 2015/2016.

SJC

It is one thing to put numbers and dates on statements, it is quite another to convince venture capitalists of those statements. Without the money it goes nowhere and without a solid story with convincing evidence it never gets the money.

PYakCard

Hi All, what really makes me so angry is that even sites about Elec Vehicles etc never mention the suppressed tech of Thorium Batteries/Nuclear material even though Norway and many others insist ONLY Thorium must be used, in my country UK they are signing contracts with foreign power companies to build New and VERY Dangerous uranium powered stations...WHY??? When other forward thinking countries know that Thorium is better, and even NASA admit they have batteries that last for many YEARS in the freezing conditions of space, yet even 30+ Yrs later they still won't ALLOW us to use it.....Typical!

PYakCard

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