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Beyond lithium-ion technology, graphene can enhance the performance of next generation lithium-sulphur batteries. The battery promises lower costs due to the use of widely available sulphur as the cathode. Combined with a lithium metal anode and improvements to specific energy (Wh/kg) have also been achieved. Unfortunately, there are similarities between silicon and sulphur in that sulphur is also prone to stability issues – polysulphides tend to dissolve and diffuse to the anode where they react and cause a loss of active material. Furthermore, sulphur is not conductive and also expands during lithiation, though not to the extremes of silicon, and so requires both conductive additives and space within the electrode for the sulphur to expand into. Norwegian start-up Graphene Batteries employ a graphene network which provides a conductive network, space for volume expansion and may also help to trap polysulphides from diffusing to the anode. Nevertheless, the lithium-sulphur chemistry is still at the very early stages of commercialisation with various performance parameters needing to be improved upon and demonstrated.
The highly specific surface area and conductivity of graphene meant its first application in energy storage, that gained traction, was not in batteries but supercapacitors (capacitance is directly proportional to surface area). The theoretical specific capacitance of a single graphene layer is 550 F/g, 3-4 times the capacitance achieved from activated carbon in organic electrolyte (the incumbent electrode material). Companies are exploring μF chips through to kF modules for IoT devices through to wind turbines and off-road vehicles. All are looking at different ways to cost-effectively incorporate graphene without re-stacking or by appropriately modifying the surface. Unfortunately, the use of graphene has so far resulted in minimal improvements to specific capacitance or energy density. Graphene has been able to further improve power density but given power and fast charge/discharge capability are already strengths of supercapacitors, it is unlikely to unlock significant new markets.
Graphene can help enable lithium-sulphur technology and improve supercapacitor performance but IDTechEx believe they are most likely to occupy niche positions in the energy storage market, see “Advanced Li-ion & Beyond Li-ion Batteries 2018-2028â€. Li-ion technology is set to dominate over the coming decade and here, graphene can play an important role. Analysts at UK-based market research company, IDTechEx, cover various aspects of the energy storage and graphene markets, assessing the trends, bottlenecks and market potential of new materials and technologies. The newly updated report “Li-ion Batteries 2020-2030†provides a comprehensive view of the Li-ion market and the opportunities for new materials, while the report “Graphene, 2D Materials and Carbon Nanotubes 2019-2029†provides detailed analysis of the titled materials, their commercial progress and their prospects moving forward. For the full portfolio of energy research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/research/ES.
Tags: #Anode, #Battery, #Carbon, #Demand, #Electric, #graphite