Dalton Transactions Blog

Montroseite, a vanadium oxide mineral first discovered 60 years ago, could be used as an anode for greener batteries, say Chinese researchers. 

Yi Xie and co-workers from the University of Science and Technology of China Hefei, Anhui, China, synthesised montroseite, which was named after Montrose County in Colorado where it was discovered. The mineral they made shows improved electrochemical properties compared to nanorod electrodes because of its sea urchin-like structure, making it a better anode for aqueous lithium ion batteries. 

Montroseite and paramontroseite could be used as anode materials

Lithium ion batteries work by generating electricity through the movement of lithium ions between a negative electrode (anode) and a positive electrode (cathode). Aqueous lithium ion batteries use a water-based electrolyte (a chemical compound that conducts electricity when molten or dissolved in solution) and are a safer and cheaper alternative to electrolyte solutions in standard lithium ion batteries, which can be toxic and flammable. Xie says that aqueous electrolytes have high ion conductivities, which equates to high power densities. These conductivities are about two orders of magnitude higher than those of organic electrolytes, making aqueous lithium ion batteries promising ‘green’ batteries. However, aqueous electrolytes are not as stable as organic electrolytes so the choice of electrode is crucial to the battery’s performance. 

To view the full Highlights in Chemical Technology article, please click here: Could ‘nano-urchins’ be the key to greener batteries?

Link to journal article

From synthetic montroseite VOOH to topochemical paramontroseite VO₂ and their applications in aqueous lithium ion batteries
Yang Xu, Lei Zheng and Yi Xie, Dalton Trans., 2010, 39, 10729
DOI: 10.1039/c0dt00715c