Interlocked electrodes enhance battery lifespan
As demand rises for batteries that store more energy and last longer, a team of researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has introduced an innovative approach to overcome a limitation of conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs): unstable interfaces between electrodes and electrolytes.
Many contemporary consumer electronics, such as smartphones and laptops, rely on graphite-based batteries. While graphite offers long-term stability, it falls short in energy capacity. Silicon, by contrast, can store approximately 10 times more lithium ions, making it a promising next-generation anode material. However, silicon’s volume expansion and contraction during charge and discharge can cause mechanical gaps between the electrode and the electrolyte, quickly degrading battery performance.
To address this, the researchers explored replacing liquid electrolytes with solid or quasi-solid-state electrolytes (QSSEs), which offer better safety and stability. Yet, QSSEs still struggle to maintain full contact with the expanding and contracting silicon, leading to separation and performance loss over time.
Now, researchers have developed an In Situ Interlocking Electrode-Electrolyte (IEE) system that forms covalent chemical bonds between the electrode and electrolyte. Unlike conventional batteries where components merely touch, the IEE system bonds the two into a chemically entangled structure, like bricks held together by hardened mortar, so they remain tightly connected even under mechanical stress.
Electrochemical performance tests revealed that while traditional batteries lost capacity after just a few charge-discharge cycles, those using the IEE design maintained long-term stability. Most notably, the IEE-based pouch cell demonstrated an energy density of 403.7 Wh/kg and 1300 Wh/L, representing 60% greater gravimetric energy density and nearly twice the volumetric energy density compared to typical commercial LIBs. In practical terms, this means electric vehicles can travel farther and smartphones can operate longer using the same-sized battery.
“This study offers a new direction for next-generation energy storage systems that simultaneously demand high energy density and long-term durability,” said Professor Soojin Park, who co-led the study.
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