UMD Researchers Develop Strategies for Higher-Energy Lithium Batteries

University of Maryland researchers this month presented a series of complementary materials strategies for next-generation lithium batteries in articles published in the Nature family of journals.  

The three studies were led by Distinguished University Professor Chunsheng Wang and received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. Together, they show how controlling reactions and transport at battery interfaces can enable more efficient use of sulfur, silicon and lithium metal. Each design addresses a different failure mechanism while advancing the shared goals of higher energy, faster charging and reliable operation under demanding conditions.

The first study, published in Nature Materials, aimed to understand and suppress voids at the interface between lithium and a solid electrolyte that forms while the battery is providing current. Postdoctoral Researchers Xiao Ji, Yijie Liu and Xinzi He and collaborators from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory reported that the critical current density is linked to capacity and lithium diffusivity. Fine-grained lithium anodes have faster lithium transport, thus a higher critical current density.

A second study, published in Nature Energy, addresses conventional lithium-sulfur batteries, which are limited by low voltage and polysulfides that shuttle between electrodes. Because sulfur is abundant and inexpensive, overcoming these limitations could offer a lower-cost route to higher-energy storage. The study was conducted by Wang, along with Postdoctoral Researchers Nan Zhang and Weiran Zhang and included collaborators from Vanderbilt University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of Rhode Island and Oregon State University. 

The third study addresses a different challenge: silicon batteries. Silicon can store nearly 10 times more lithium than graphite, but challenges with the electrolytes have slowed their adoption. To address this, Wang and Postdoctoral Researcher Yawei Chen, in collaboration with Enyuan Hu from Brookhaven National Laboratory, developed a solvent-bridged electrolyte. Published in Nature Chemistry, the design preserves rapid ion transport and a broad liquid operating range.