Graphdiyne may bring some major breakthroughs in the safety of lithium batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized mobile electronic technology and are being put into use in new energy equipment, but further improvements in life and electricity will require new technologies. One option is a lithium metal battery, which lasts longer and charges faster, but this technology has problems. Lithium deposits called dendrites tend to grow on the anode, potentially causing a short circuit, which can lead to battery failure, fire or explosion.

Now, researchers from the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the China High-Pressure Science and Technology Research Center have designed a thin film separator based on carbon allotropes. Known as graphdiyne, it is used as a filter for lithium ions and prevents dendrite growth [Shang et al., Material. 10 (2018) 191-199].

Lithium metal batteries are similar in concept to lithium ion batteries, but rely on lithium metal anodes. During discharge, the lithium metal anode provides electrons to the cathode through an external circuit. However, during charging, lithium metal is deposited on the anode. It is during this process that undesirable dendrites can form.

This is where the separator membrane enters. Membrane separators made of ultra-thin (10 nm) graphidiyne (a two-dimensional hexagonal monolayer of carbon atoms bridged by butadiyne chains) have some remarkable properties. Graphene diacetylene not only has elasticity and firmness at the same time, its chemical structure also forms a uniform porous network, so that each hole allows only one lithium ion to pass through. This regulates the movement of ions through the membrane, making the diffusion of ions highly uniform. It is important that this characteristic of the battery effectively suppresses the growth of lithium dendrites.

Li Yuliang, from the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who led the study, explained: "Inhibiting lithium dendrites can stabilize the solid electrolyte interface, thereby improving the life of the device and the Coulomb efficiency." It can avoid dendritic short circuits, thereby improving battery safety .

The researchers believe that graphitic diacetylene films can overcome some of the tough problems currently faced by lithium and other alkaline metal batteries.

"Graphite diacetylene is an ideal material with a super-conjugated structure, inherent band gap, natural macropore structure and semiconductor properties, which shows great prospects for solving major scientific problems in this field," Li said.

Two-dimensional materials are also simple under ordinary laboratory conditions and easy to produce.

"Although more efforts are needed to improve the quality of large-scale graphite diacetylene membranes, we believe that graphite diacetylene may bring some major breakthroughs in the safety of lithium batteries," the researchers told reporters.

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