Calcium rechargeable battery with long cycle life

Date:
May 23, 2023
Source:
Tohoku University
Summary:
With the use of electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage
systems on the rise, the need to explore alternatives to lithium-ion
batteries has never been greater. Researchers have recently
developed a prototype calcium metal rechargeable battery capable
of 500 cycles of repeated charge-discharge -- the benchmark for
practical use. The breakthrough was made thanks to the development
of a copper sulfide nanoparticle/carbon composite cathode and a
hydride-based electrolyte.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A research group has developed a prototype calcium (Ca) metal rechargeable battery capable of 500 cycles of repeated charge-discharge -- the
benchmark for practical use.

The breakthrough was reported in the journal Advanced Scienceon May
19, 2023.

With the use of electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage systems on
the rise, the need to explore alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)
has never been greater. One such replacement is Ca metal batteries. As
the fifth most abundant element in earth's crust, calcium is widely
available and inexpensive, and has higher energy density potential than
LIBs. Its properties are also thought to help accelerate ion transport
and diffusion in electrolytes and cathode materials, giving it an edge
over other LIB-alternatives such as magnesium and zinc.

But many hurdles remain in the way of Ca metal batteries' commercial
viability.

The lack of an efficient electrolyte and the absence of cathode materials
with sufficient Ca2+ storage capabilities have proved to be the main
stumbling blocks.

Back in 2021, some members of the current research group provided a
solution to the former problem when they realized a new fluorine-free
calcium (Ca) electrolyte based on a hydrogen (monocarborane) cluster. The electrolyte demonstrated markedly improved electrochemical performances
such as high conductivity and high electrochemical stabilities.

"For our current research, we tested the long-term operation of a Ca
metal battery with a copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticle/carbon composite
cathode and a hydride-based electrolyte," says Kazuaki Kisu, assistant professor at Tohoku University's Institute for Materials Research (IMR).

Also a natural mineral, CuS has favorable electrochemical properties. Its layered structure enables it to store a variety of cations, including
lithium, sodium and magnesium. It has a large theoretical capacity of
560 mAh g-1 -- two to three times higher than present cathode materials
for lithium-ion batteries.

Through nanoparticulation and compositing with carbon materials, Kisu
and his collegues were able to create a cathode capable of storing large amounts of calcium ions. When employed with the hydride-type electrolyte,
they produce a battery with a highly stable cycling performance. The
prototype battery maintained 92% capacity retention over 500 cycles
based on the capacity of the 10th cycle.

The group is confident that their breakthrough will help advance
research into cathode materials for Ca-based batteries. "Our study
confirms the feasibility of Ca metal anodes for long-term operations,
and we are hopeful the results will expedite the development of Ca metal batteries," says Kisu.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Matter_&_Energy
# Batteries # Fuel_Cells # Energy_and_Resources #
Materials_Science
o Computers_&_Math
# Distributed_Computing # Communications #
Computer_Graphics
* RELATED_TERMS
o Battery_electric_vehicle o Battery_(electricity) o
Alternative_fuel_vehicle o Lithium o Solar_power o Nanoparticle
o Fuel_cell o MRAM

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Tohoku_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Kazuaki Kisu, Rana Mohtadi, Shin‐ichi Orimo. Calcium Metal
Batteries with Long Cycle Life Using a Hydride‐Based
Electrolyte and Copper Sulfide Electrode. Advanced Science, 2023;
DOI: 10.1002/ advs.202301178 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230523123849.htm

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