Designing electrolytes with high solubility of sulfides/disulfides for high-energy-density and low-cost K-Na/S batteries
Alkaline metal sulfur (AMS) batteries offer a promising solution for grid-level energy storage due to their low cost and long cycle life. However, the formation of solid compounds such as M<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub> and M<sub>2</sub>S (M = Na, K) during cycling limits their performance. Here we unveil intermediate-temperature K-Na/S batteries utilizing advanced electrolytes that dissolve all polysulfides and sulfides (K<sub>2</sub>S<sub>x</sub>, x = 1-8), significantly enhancing reaction kinetics, specific capacity, and energy density. These batteries achieve near-theoretical capacity (1655 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> sulfur) at 75 °C with a 1 M sulfur concentration. At a 4 M sulfur concentration, they deliver 830 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 2 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>, retaining 71% capacity after 1000 cycles. This new K-Na/S battery with specific energy of 150-250 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup> only employs earth-abundant elements, making it attractive for long-duration energy storage.
Authors
- Yuan Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0264-2640)
- Tye Milazzo
- Tianwei Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4355-5474)
- Tengfei Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3940-8786)
- Joseph F. Wild (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9433-3644)
- Shengyu Cong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1987-9037)
- Donghui Long (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3179-4822)
- Yonghua Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2655-045X)
- W.N. Lei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7637-6534)
- Qian Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5510-2977)
- Liying Tian
- Zhenghao Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3773-8301)
- Yucheng Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4128-7279)
- Shiyi Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2036-0587)
- Syed Rasool (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3604-165X)
- Wenbo Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4016-7158)
Institutions
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- East China University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (US)
- Columbia University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-09-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51905-6
- Citations
- 8
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.67
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Office of Science
- Brookhaven National Laboratory