Researchers at Singapore's NanoBio Lab (NBL) say they have found a way to manufacture more stable lithium-sulfur batteries without compromising their performance. This means the power source can potentially be used in a wider range of electronic and energy storage devices.
Safety considerations had limited the use of lithium batteries in some environments due to their highly flammable liquid organic electrolytes that leaked easily, said the Singapore lab in a statement Monday. A lab incubator that focuses on the use of nanotechnology to create new materials, NBL is parked under government R&D agency, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
Liquid electrolytes also depended on thermally and mechanically unstable electrode separators, said NBL. It further noted that solid-state electrolytes could improve the safety of lithium batteries, but had poor electrode/electrolyte contact and limited ionic conductivity. This meant poorer performance and major conductivity bottlenecks, it said.
Its research team, comprising Ayman AbdelHamid, Jackie Y. Ying, and Cheong Jian Liang, created a semi-solid electrolyte that the lab said reduced the risk of leakage and was more stable than liquid alternatives.
Ying, who heads the NBL research team, explained: "Hybrid quasi-solid electrolytes comprising both liquid and solid components have emerged as a practical compromise to obtain safer batteries while maintaining good performance. However, the high resistance of the solid component has, thus far, limited the performance of such batteries.
"To overcome this, we have reengineered the microstructure of the solid component. Our solution eliminates electrolyte leakage, and is thermally and mechanically stable," she said.
Its hybrid quasi-solid electrolyte comprises a liquid-infused porous membrane made of Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) sheets, which were selected for their high ionic conductivity as well as good chemical and electrochemical stability, said NBL. It added that the electrolyte's non-rigid form also enables it to have good contact with electrodes