Monash University researchers have taken another step toward a new milestone in renewable energy: reducing the cost of converting battery storage capacity through the latest technology. The team created a new lithium-sulfur battery sandwich that can facilitate the rapid transmission of lithium while improving the performance and life of the battery.
Derived from Monash
This cheaper, greener and faster lithium-sulfur battery can charge and discharge batteries faster than before, and can be produced locally in Australia.
This latest breakthrough has been published at the Royal Society of Chemistry and will continue to be a world leader in lithium battery development, in collaboration with Professor Matthew Hill, Dr Mahdokht Shaibani and Mainak Majumber in collaboration with Australia's National Organisation for Science and Industry Research (CSIRO).
"The lithium battery sandwich is located in the middle of the battery, maintaining the distance between the electrodes, which helps the lithium ions to get from one side of the battery to the other side more quickly. The new mezzanine overcomes the shortcomings of the slower charge and discharge speed of the previous generation of lithium-sulfur batteries," professor Hill said.
As fossil fuel electricity is increasingly swapped out for emission-free electrification around the world, lithium batteries are becoming an important storage tool for the energy transition. From household devices such as mobile phones, laptops, and electric vehicles to major industries such as aviation and marine technology, lithium batteries are the first choice.
Compared with the previous generation of lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries have higher energy density and lower cost, and they can store two to five times more energy than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries. This means that a car with such a battery may only need to be charged once a week. And solve the problem of rapid deterioration of the electrodes of the previous lithium-sulfur battery and damage to the battery.
The new sandwich provides high capacity and long life.
"The mezzanine prevents polysulfides (a chemical that forms inside such batteries) from moving through the battery; polysulfides interfere with the anode and shorten battery life. This means that the battery can be charged and discharged up to 2,000 times without failure," said lead author and phD student Ehhasemiestabanati.
In addition, lithium-sulfur batteries do not rely on metals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese, which are important minerals in lithium-ion batteries. The supply of these metals is decreasing globally and is often mined in places with high sovereign risks. Sulphur, on the other hand, is well supplied in Australia and is considered a waste or by-product.
Professor Hill said: "These batteries don't depend on minerals that are undersupplied as the electrification revolution progresses, so this is another step towards producing cheaper, cleaner and higher-performing batteries in Australia."
There is also good news that in the QS World University Rankings 2022, Monash University of Pharmacy and Pharmacology has been ranked first in the world for the first time.
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