Long lasting lithium ion batteries a possibility

Their short lifetime is due to the poor cycling of cathodes. Performance of cathode reduces with multiple charge-discharge cycles because of reactions between the active material and electrolyte.

CHENNAI: Researchers from IIT Madras and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a German institute, have developed a new class of ‘high entropy’ materials that can increase efficiency of lithium ion batteries, said a statement from IIT-M on Thursday. While lithium ion batteries are ubiquitous in daily life with several consumer appliances being powered by them, their limited lifetime has remained an issue for long.

Their short lifetime is due to the poor cycling of cathodes. Performance of cathode reduces with multiple charge-discharge cycles because of reactions between the active material and electrolyte. The work, recently published in the renowned peer-reviewed Royal Society of Chemistry journal Energy and Environmental Science, explains the synthesis of certain non-toxic, relatively inexpensive and more earth-abundant cathode materials with enhanced lithium ion storage properties.

Research was headed at IIT-M by Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering professor SS Bhattacharya and at KIT by Institute of Nanotechnology Executive Director Horst Hahn. Bhattacharya described the cathode materials developed as complex compounds containing five or more metal ions in equal amounts. Hahn said the possibility of using this opens up ways for developing sodium ion batteries.