Scientists designed high-performance water-soluble, densely functionalized polymer-based electrode binder for lithium and sodium-ion batteries
Ishikawa, Japan -- Global demand for electronic devices and electric vehicles is set to continue growing and diversifying in the coming years. This rise in demand calls for powerful batteries with enhanced efficiency, performance, and safe storage technologies. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been ruling this secondary ion battery sector for over three decades now. However, the supply of lithium is gradually declining due to concerns about unsustainable extraction practices, high costs, and uneven geographic distribution.
This has led researchers and the industry to find an alternative to LIBs. A promising contender is sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because sodium is abundant in nature, is cost-effective, and has high electrochemical potential. However, certain issues need to be addressed before implementing them for commercial applications. First, the ionic radius of sodium is larger than lithium which gives rise to slow ion kinetics and complications in phase stability, and interphase formation. Second, there is a need to develop electrodes that are compatible and ensure high performance with not only LIBs but also SIBs. Moreover, carbon-based materials make promising electrodes for LIBs and SIBs, but they are not without their own set of flaws.
To help improve the performance and stability of electrodes, Professor Noriyoshi Matsumi from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Japan with his doctoral course student Amarshi Patra at JAIST, shifted their focus towards polymeric binders for manufacturing electrodes in SIBs. In their recent study published in
Advanced Energy Materials on 12 September 2024, they developed a new densely functionalized and water-soluble poly(ionic liquid), poly(oxycarbonylmethylene 1-allyl-3-methyimidazolium) (PMAI) and tested its binding ability for LIB and SIB. The PMAI-based anodic-half cell showed excellent electrochemical performance and cyclic stability. “
There has been a worldwide increase in demand for materials enabling fast charge-discharge and resolving the slow kinetics issue of sodium-ion diffusion. This polymer-based binder with dense ionic liquid functional groups acts as a component of high-performing electrode systems in SIBs,” explained Prof. Matsumi when asked what sets this new material apart.
To test the effectiveness of the new PMAI material, the researchers used it as a graphite anode binder and hard carbon anode binder in LIB and SIB, respectively. The results from electrochemical evaluation revealed that PMAI-based anodic-half cell showed exceptional electrochemical performance, high capacities (297 mAhg
-1 at 1C for LIBs and 250 mAhg
-1 at 60 mAg
-1 for SIBs) and great cycle stability with 96% capacity retention after 200 cycles for SIBs and 80% capacity retention after 750 cycles in LIBs.
Furthermore, the experimental results showed improved ion diffusion coefficient, lower resistance and activation energy, attributed to the densely polar ionic liquid groups and the formation of a functionalized solid electrolyte interphase via binder reduction.
The improvement in performance and stability, as evident from the full-cell examination with PMAI as the anode binder is a testament to the novel material’s potential as a binder for secondary ion battery applications. “
This class of materials will be adopted in fast-charging energy storage systems for commercial applications, as this binder promotes improved sodium-ion diffusion. This study will encourage the development of more advanced materials, paving the way for new sodium-ion powered electronic devices and electric vehicles,” concludes Prof. Matsumi.
“The developed novel poly(ionic liquid) is a novel class of material. Poly(ionic liquid)s have been intensely studied for a variety of applications such as energy storage devices, biochemical applications, sensing applications, catalytic applications etc. Our novel densely ionic liquid functionalized polymer has potential utility for above-mentioned various research field.”
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Reference
| Title of original paper: |
Densely Imidazolium Functionalized Water Soluble Poly(ionic liquid) Binder for Enhanced Performance of Carbon Anode in Lithium/Sodium-ion Batteries |
| Authors: |
Amarshi Patra, and Noriyoshi Matsumi* |
| Journal: |
Advanced Energy Materials |
| DOI: |
10.1002/aenm.202403071 |
About Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
Founded in 1990 in Ishikawa prefecture, the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) was the first independent national graduate school in Japan. Now, after 30 years of steady progress, JAIST has become one of Japan’s top-ranking universities. JAIST counts with multiple satellite campuses and strives to foster capable leaders with a state-of-the-art education system where diversity is key; about 40% of its alumni are international students. The university has a unique style of graduate education based on a carefully designed coursework-oriented curriculum to ensure that its students have a solid foundation on which to carry out cutting-edge research. JAIST also works closely both with local and overseas communities by promoting industry–academia collaborative research.
About Professor Noriyoshi Matsumi from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
Dr. Noriyoshi Matsumi is a Professor at the Materials Chemistry Frontiers Research Area, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST). Before joining as a faculty at JAIST, he was an Associate at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and an Associate Professor at Nagoya University. He earned his Ph.D. from Kyoto University and became the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellow. His areas of expertise include electronic devices and equipment, functional solid-state chemistry, and polymer chemistry. Prof. Matsumi aims to work on designing high-performance materials related to lithium/sodium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and electrocatalysis.
Funding information
The author is thankful to the financial support provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology (MEXT), Japan