2010 R&D 100
Winner
Lithium-sulfur batteries have been previously proposed as an
energy solution, but are hindered by poor cycle life. Sulfur binds to lithium
ions, forming compounds that interfere in the operation of the electrolyte.
The Sulfur-Carbon
Nanocomposite Cathode Material and Additives for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries from
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.,
eliminates this problem with the use of a sulfur-carbon nanocomposite cathode
material made from mesoporous carbon that has a rigid framework created through
a new soft-template synthesis method. Adding a small amount of halide into the
electrolyte improved the cyclability and utilization of sulfur in Li-S
batteries, adding three to ten times the cycle life.
The material can achieve a discharge capacity of 1600 mAh/g
with 95% utilization of sulfur; the energy density is much higher than
sulfur-carbon batteries. The capacity decay stabilizes after the first 20
cycles, with no obvious decay after a few hundred cycles.
Technology
Sulfur-lithium
battery
Developers
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Development Team
|
| Standing: Chengdu Liang and Jane Howe. Seated: Nancy Dudney |
The Sulfur-Carbon
Nanocomposite Cathode Material and Additives for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries
Development Team From Oak Ridge
National Laboratory:
Nancy Dudney
Jane Howe
Chengdu
Liang
