Lithium-air batteries

Lithium-air batteries are interesting because of their high energy density which is about 5-10 times higher than for a conventional Li-ion battery used in mobile phones and laptops.

In Li-air battery the lithium-ions are migrating from the Li-metal anode through the electrolyte based on a lithium salt in an organic solvent to the porous cathode where they react with oxygen. Lithium peroxide (Li2O2) is the desired reaction product since the reaction can then be reveresed with the presence of a catalyst like MnO2.

There are many parameters that affect the performance of a lithium-air battery, such as: cathode structure, moisture, electrolyte composition, the ratios of the carbon and the catalyst contained in the cathode, the electrode porosity, the choice of catalyst material and how the cell assembling is carried out.

Research activities:

  • Li-air battery degradation mechanisms

  • Characterisation of electrolytes for Li-air batteries

  • Synthesis and characterisation of catalysts

  • Characterisation of porous carbon-polymer-catalyst composites

Funding:

  • Swedish Energy Agency

Our publications on lithium-air batteries

 R. Younesi, G. M. Veith, P. Johansson, K. Edström, T. Vegge, "Lithium salts for advanced lithium batteries: Li–metal, Li–O2 , and Li–S", Energy Environ. Sci. 8, 1905–1922 (2015) [link]

R. Younesi, M. Hahlin, F. Björefors, P. Johansson, and K. Edström, Chem. Mater. 25, 77–84 (2013) [link]

J. Liu, M. Roberts, R. Younesi, M. Dahbi, K. Edström, T. Gustafsson, J. Zhu, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 4 4045-4050 (2013) [link]

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