Beyond the age of oxides; new materials for safe and sustainable solid-state batteries.

“最近从手机到飞机的应用安全问题突出了高压锂离子电池中液体电解质的潜在危害。如果能找到一种固体电解质替代品，它具有高锂离子电导率和宽电位操作窗口的综合稳定性（化学和热），就可以避免这种危险。卤化物和氢化物是极具吸引力的竞争者，其独特的特点是，非氧化阴离子可以协同促进锂离子的运输。此外，它们出色的（电）化学稳定性为超过5V的电池和使用新的、更高活性的阳极（如电极）铺平了道路。该项目涉及设计含有非氧化物多阴离子（如硼氢化物、硼烷、复合卤化物）的新材料，其中旋转/“翻滚”阴离子在规定的锂离子扩散途径中与高度移动的阳离子共生。我们的目标是利用这些相互作用（通过实验和理论建模）来控制锂离子的迁移率，作为阴离子亚晶格的极化率和密度的函数（决定锂离子自由运动的各个方面）。这些概念将被转化为新的固态电池化学，其中Li+被Na+或Mg2+取代作为移动阳离子。这种方法的目的是在不牺牲性能的情况下，迁移到基于更便宜、更丰富的地球金属的更可持续的电池架构。所有新材料都将通过可持续、节能的方法合成，然后在可充电电池中进行表征和测试。”

"ecent safety issues in applications from cell phones to airliners highlight the potential hazards associated with liquid electrolytes in high voltage Li-ion batteries. Such dangers could be avoided if a solid electrolyte alternative could be found that combined stability (both chemical and thermal) with high Li-ion conductivity and a wide potential operating window. Halides and hydrides are extremely attractive contenders for this role, with the unique feature that the non-oxide anions can promote the transport of Li-cations synergically. Moreover, their outstanding (electro)chemical stability paves the way for cells in excess of 5V and the use of novel, higher activity anodes, such as electrides. This project involves the design of new materials containing non-oxide polyanions (e.g. borohydride, boranes, complex halides) in which rotating/"tumbling" anions interact symbiotically with the highly mobile cations within prescribed Li-ion diffusion pathways. Our ambition is to exploit these interactions (modelled by both experiment and theory) to control the mobility of the Li-ions as a function of the polarisability and density of the anion sublattice (determining all aspects of the free movement of the Li-ions). These concepts will then be translated to novel solid state battery chemistries in which Li+ is replaced by Na+ or Mg2+ as the mobile cation. The aim of this approach is to migrate to more sustainable battery architectures based on cheaper, more Earth-abundant metals, without sacrificing performance. All new materials will be synthesised by sustainable, energy-efficient methods before being characterised and tested in rechargeable cells. "