KAIST Extends Lithium Metal Battery Lifespan by 750% Using Water​

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https://news.kaist.ac.kr/newsen/html/news/?mode=V&mng_no=42390

KAIST Extends Lithium Metal Battery Lifespan by 750% Using Water​
View : 438 Date : 2024-12-12 Writer : PR Office
Lithium metal, a next-generation anode material, has been highlighted for overcoming the performance limitations of commercial batteries. However, issues inherent to lithium metal have caused shortened battery lifespans and increased fire risks. KAIST researchers have achieved a world-class breakthrough by extending the lifespan of lithium metal anodes by approximately 750% only using water.

KAIST (represented by President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 2nd of December that Professor Il-Doo Kim from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Jiyoung Lee from Ajou University, successfully stabilized lithium growth and significantly enhanced the lifespan of next-generation lithium metal batteries using eco-friendly hollow nanofibers as protective layers.

Conventional protective layer technologies, which involve applying a surface coating onto lithium metal in order to create an artificial interface with the electrolyte, have relied on toxic processes and expensive materials, with limited improvements in the lifespan of lithium metal anodes.


< Figure 1. Schematic illustration of the fabrication process of the newly developed protective membrane by eco-friendly electrospinning process using water >

To address these limitations, Professor Kim’s team proposed a hollow nanofiber protective layer capable of controlling lithium-ion growth through both physical and chemical means. This protective layer was manufactured through an environmentally friendly electrospinning process* using guar gum** extracted from plants as the primary material and utilizing water as the sole solvent.

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< Figure 2. Physical and chemical control of Lithium dendrite by the newly developed protective membrane >

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< Figure 3. Performance of Lithium metal battery full cells with the newly developed protective membrane >

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https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202407381

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Doesn't water make lithium explode? Nt

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Not exactly...

Lithium is very reactive, which is one of the reasons it makes good batteries.

The title of the research paper is: Overcoming Chemical and Mechanical Instabilities in Lithium Metal Anodes with Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Artificial SEI Layer