In a creative application of rational design, scientists in China have turned to nature to help overcome one of the key challenges facing the most probable successor to the lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are cheaper, more sustainable and already capable of delivering up to three times the energy density of most Li-ion cells. However, they are held back by poor stability; a problem these researchers have confronted by functionalising the electrodes with DNA.
Li–S cells typically consist of a lithium metal anode and a carbon–sulfur cathode separated by a liquid electrolyte. Lithium ions dissolve from the anode during discharge, reacting with sulfur to form lithium polysulfides (Li2Sx) at the cathode, while the reverse occurs on charging. Some of the polysulfide intermediates are unfortunately soluble in the electrolyte and their dissolution from the cathode leads to irreversible loss of the active sulfur, adversely affecting cell performance.
Interested? Read the full story at Chemistry World.
Functionalising electrodes with DNA significantly enhances performance © Shutterstock
The original article can be read below:
High-performance lithium/sulfur batteries by decorating CMK-3/S cathodes with DNA
Qiyang Li, Chenggang Zhou, Zhuan Ji, Bo Han, Liang Feng and Jinping Wu
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4TA06083K
