Indian scientists have developed a new composite electrode material that can prevent cracks and damages in aluminium ion batteries and make them affordable, safe and long-lasting, thereby offering a safer and eco-friendlier alternative to lithium-ion batteries, the Ministry of Science and Technology said on Wednesday.
Aluminium-based batteries are gaining increasing attention across the globe. Aluminium is one of the most common metals on Earth, easy to find, inexpensive and having the capacity to store a larger amount of electrical charge than lithium.
Aluminium batteries could become an attractive option for future energy storage technologies because of these advantages, but developing practical aluminium batteries has been challenging.
The material inside these batteries breaks down quickly during charging and discharging. Over time, the material that stores energy can crack or dissolve into the liquid inside the battery causing the battery to lose its power fast.
A popular material called vanadium oxide used for cathode can store a large amount of energy but in water-based aluminium batteries, this tends to dissolve into the battery liquid and as a result the battery loses capacity very quickly and cannot maintain stable performance for long periods.
To address this long-standing challenge, a research team led by Dr Kavita Pandey from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, worked in collaboration with researchers from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad and Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Greater Noida.
The team combined vanadium oxide with another layered material known as MXene, an extremely thin material that can conduct electricity very efficiently.
When these two materials were combined, MXene formed a supportive and conductive network that helped hold the vanadium oxide in place. This design reduced the amount of vanadium that dissolves into the battery liquid by almost 80 percent.
The battery was able to operate for a much longer time because of this improved stability. “It demonstrated exceptional stability achieved by suppressing vanadium dissolution, maintaining 73.23 percent capacity after 100 charging cycles and remarkable long-term performance with 59.2 percent retention after 500 cycles,” the researchers said in their study that has been published in the April issue of Elsevier’s Journal of Power Sources.
“We are on the cusp of a new era in energy storage, due to excessive exploitation of oil resources, where alternatives to lithium-ion technology are poised to take the spotlight. One promising contender that has garnered significant interest among researchers is the rechargeable Aluminium-ion batteries, offering a promising substitute to traditional lithium-ion technologies,” the researchers observed.
