Long-distance electric cars of the future might be powered by lithium-sulfur batteries
Long-distance electric cars of the future might be powered by lithium-sulfur batteries lead image
Most of our modern-day technologies, like electric toothbrushes, laptops, and cordless power tools, are powered by lithium-ion batteries. As we unplug more of our devices, researchers are looking for more efficient and longer-lasting power sources.
With a high energy density, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) could be the next stage in reusable batteries. They show promise for large-power use cases, but several hurdles remain to make them efficient enough for such applications.
“LSBs show great potential to meet the demand for long-range electric vehicles due to their ultra-high energy density,” said Qianfan Zhang, author of a review paper on the batteries. “However, technology challenges still arise from the fast capacity fade, short cycle life, and high self-discharge rates.”
Wang et al. discuss the future of LSBs with a focus on recent developments to cathode design, which is recognized as essential to improving efficiency and capacity. In LSBs, cathode materials contain the catalyst for converting lithium polysulfides while the battery is charging or discharging. Due to complex physical-chemical reaction mechanisms during these cycles, the conversion of lithium polysulfides has not yet been fully understood or optimized.
The researchers describe lithium-sulfur storage mechanisms and recent strategies for cathode catalyst development. Directions for future research on the bifunctional catalysts are also presented.
In the next decade, the authors believe LSBs’ energy density and power density will increase to commercialized levels. They also hope non-toxic, low-cost, and abundant materials can be found for LSBs to make them more sustainable in a carbon neutral future.
“We hope that this review can help people better understand the theoretical basis of cathode catalysts in the design of LSBs,” Zhang said.
Source: “Rational design of the cathode catalysts for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries,” by Tianshuai Wang, Xiang Feng, Chao Lin, and Qianfan Zhang. Chemical Physics Reviews (2023). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0110449 .
