A group of scientists may finally have managed to make Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) ion batteries commercially viable. In simpler words, this would mean that batteries in our most commonly used gadgets, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and others, would offer significantly longer battery life than any of the existing Li-ion batteries in use today. In fact, the net difference may lead to our devices lasting longer by days. The research paper was submitted and published two days ago in Joule, by scientists Arumugam Manthiram, director of the Texas Materials Institute, along with graduate students Amruth Bhargav and Sanjay Nanda at the University of Texas at Austin.
The technology in question are Li-S batteries, which have clearly shown benefits such as 2-3x higher specific energy than Li-ion batteries, far longer battery stamina in a single charge, considerably lighter weight and much lesser cost of production. Such properties made the Li-S batteries ideal candidates as the evolution of standard Li-ion batteries in use today. However, one major factor of the longevity of these batteries, i.e. the overall life cycle, meant commercial viability was so far not attained.
Now, the researchers state that by adding a new, artificial layer on top of the battery's Lithium anode (that features the element Tellurium), the problem of overall longevity can be overcome. In simple terms, a typical Li-S battery, through one charge cycle, sees certain chemical deposits on the negative terminal of the battery. This, in turn, breaks down the electrolyte — the battery's conducting material, and the two processes combined degrades the single cycle stamina, as well as the overall longevity of the battery. In fact, the researchers state that the deposits can even cause short circuits in the battery, and cause the cell to catch fire.
To resolve this, the researchers created the additional layer on top of the Lithium anode, to prevent the formation of these deposits. Explaining the benefits, Bhargav and Nanda state, "The layer formed on lithium surface allows it to operate without breaking down the electrolyte, and that makes the battery last much longer. The stabilizing layer is formed by a simple in-situ process and requires no expensive or complicated pre-treatment or coating procedures on the lithium-metal anode." A provisional patent has been filed by the researchers for this breakthrough.
With this achievement, Li-S batteries come one step closer to commercial deployment, and technically, can extend the life of a smartphone per charge cycle by days. Furthermore, the advantage of using Sulphur in the battery means that it is far lighter than conventional Li-ion batteries in use right now. Plus, the widespread availability of Sulphur means that the batteries will be cost efficient, too. However, Manthiram clarifies that the Li-S batteries are not ready for prime time action just yet.
As of now, they still remain best suited for devices that do not require super frequent charge cycles, and are ideal for applications such as autonomous aerial vehicles, or drones. With this being the present state of development, it is safe to conclude that while Li-S batteries can indeed help your phone last for days, it is still some time into the future.
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