Development of stable lithium metal anode systems for high energy density lithium-sulfur batteries

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Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are one of the most promising contenders to replace conventional Li-ion battery technology due to their potentially low cost, high mass-specific energy, and more sustainable production. While significant progress has been made in the last 5-10 years towards realizing these advantages, Li-S technology is hampered by many challenges that need to be addressed to enable their successful commercialization. Several of these challenges such as the electrically insulating nature of sulfur, the large volume change upon conversion of S to Li2S and the solubility of intermediates during this conversion can be suppressed by creating advanced composite materials including the use of high surface area graphene-based additives - A material which NanoXplore produces at scale. However challenges associated with the rapid degradation of the lithium metal anode remain to be solved.The goal of the proposed collaborative research program is to address the challenges associated with highly reactive lithium metal anode. The team seeks to develop a graphene-reinforced glassy carbon interlayer that separates the reactive anode from the electrolyte. This selectively permeable membrane will facilitate the rapid transport of Li-ions between the anode and electrolyte preventing the electrolyte from reacting with the Li metal directly. The success of this project is expected to lead to rechargeable batteries that are 3 to 4 times lighter but contain the same amount of energy. This would extend the range of various technologies such as areal drones, electric aircraft, and electric vehicles that benefit significantly from reduced weight. It will also decrease battery costs by using abundant and inexpensive sulfur as the cathode material and decrease our reliance on unethical cobalt mining practices. The use of graphene derived from Canadian graphite in high volume applications will lead to significant economic growth, while the further enabling of green technologies such as electric vehicles will also lead to environmental benefits that will be felt across Canada.