Chinese battery researchers have developed a lithium-sulfur pack with astonishing resilience thanks to a unique cathode coating, as detailed in a lab summary. published by ACS Publications.

The innovation was announced by experts from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and colleagues. A prototype remained stable after 300 charge/discharge cycles. Another can surprisingly provide power after being cut in half or bent, by ACS.

“The battery continues to work after being cut off thanks to its unique design, where the conductive network remains intact even after physical damage,” Professor Liping Wang said Interesting engineering.

Lithium-sulfur, or Li-S, batteries use common materials and it could be cheaper than lithium-ion alternatives. The packs can store a lot of energy, according to ACS and AZoNano. Some Li-S batteries already power some laptops, phones and other devices, according to experts at the University of Adelaide in Australia. However, Adelaide experts note that this type of battery can currently take hours to charge. They are functioning on better Li-S technology as well.

In China, the team uses an improved iron sulfide cathode with a special layer between the electrode and electrolyte to reduce corrosion and maintain performance. according to in summary. When a battery worksions move between the anode and cathode in a substance called an electrolyte.

Wang’s team coated the cathodes with polyacrylic acid, which retained the electrode’s ability to discharge energy for hundreds of cycles. The experts constructed both a pocket cell and a button cell using a cathode coated with a carbonate-based electrolyte, a lithium foil and a graphite-based anode.

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The pouch cell worked after being bent or cut. The parts pack retained 72% of its capacity after 300 operating cycles.

This advancement could lead to a safer battery for electric vehicles and devices. Although rare, battery fires can be catastrophic and securities. But, like reported According to the Boston Globe, gas-powered cars are actually more likely to burn than battery-powered ones.

Regardless, improved safety can only alleviate fire fears, thereby helping to extend the electrification of our technology to limit air pollution that traps heat. Reduce air pollution by switching to an electric vehicle or even a induction cooktop can make a difference to the air and to your wallet. NASA, for reference, links the fumes that warm the planet to an increased risk of extreme weather conditions. And parking your gas burner in favor of an electric vehicle can save you up to $1,500 per year in gas and maintenance costs. This is in addition to thousands of dollars in tax relief who are available to help you purchase one.

In China, the latest discoveries of Li-S could constitute a new step towards their generalization.

“Overall, the results indicate that coated cathodes could produce not only safer Li-S batteries with long cycle life, but also efficient batteries containing other metal sulfides,” according to Wang’s team , by ACS.

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