Can Synthetically Made Electrode Materials Contribute to Zero-Carbon Batteries?

Yes is the resounding answer if one were to follow the work of Chinese scientists in the past few months.

A recent research and development project for greener batteries has led to the use of Montroseite, a mineral discovered half a decade ago in Montrose County, Colorado.

At the Chinese Hefei University of Science and Technology, Anhui, in November 2010 a group of scientists, led by Yi Xie, synthetically prepared Montroseite. This mineral is very similar in structure to the sea urchin yet demonstrates higher electrochemical properties in comparison to nanorod electrodes. The characteristics of the Montroseite make it ideal for anodes in batteries using aqueous lithium ions.

How do conventional lithium batteries work?

Conventionally, electricity in lithium batteries is generated when the ions flow from the negatively charged anode to the positively charged cathode. However, for the flow of charges to be continuous a media or an electrolyte is required. In batteries made from aqueous lithium ions, the media is a water-based electrolyte. An electrolyte is a chemical compound that in solution or a molten state is able to conduct electricity.

Aqueous electrolytes are therefore a better alternative in comparison to the standard electrolyte in lithium ion batteries. These electrolytes are highly toxic and are inflammable given the high concentration of organic charges in them. Whereas aqueous electrolytes are safer and are cheaper too, this makes them a better option for use in lithium ion batteries. Besides, they have double the ion conductivity factor and that translates into denser power capacities in batteries that use aqueous electrolytes to charge the lithium ions.

However, there is one aspect that requires greater attention here. The organic electrolytes are very stable and this is not the case with aqueous solutions. Only the right electrode will be able to optimize the performance of the battery. And this is where the Montroseite which can be synthetically produced, is projected to play a crucial role in the making of batteries that emit zero-carbon and are close to zero-polluting.

The structure and crystal design of synthetic Montroseite makes it the perfect anode

Xie and his team of scientists used a straightforward hydrothermal reaction to build nanorods that resemble a sea urchin in structure. Essentially, these urchin look-alike nanorods have a hollow centre and a uni-dimensional single protrusion. Additionally, these man-made Montroseite minerals have the chemical structure to weather much in the same way that natural ore would weather. Researchers were able to establish that much like in its natural form, the artificial mineral also went through stages of oxidation as well as de-hydrogenation in the presence of Paramontroseite - the dioxide of Montroseite.

As a next step, Xie and his researchers proved that the higher lithium intake by both Montroseite and Paramontroseite was ideal to be used in the manufacture of anodes for lithium ion batteries using aqueous electrolytes. According to the creators of the mineral, this capability is due to the convergence of two aspects. At the microscopic level it is the structure created by tunneled crystals and at the macroscopic level it is the morphological hollowness that ensured the mineral performed better than existing electrolytes.

Are Montroseite anodes the future of lithium batteries?

In the near future, batteries using materials that will have zero carbon footprints are on the anvil. These newer materials will also enhance storage capabilities and will lead to more evolved structures for batteries using aqueous electrolytes.