Practical Lithium Air Batteries

该项目的核心是开发一种具有改进性能的实用锂空气电池单体电池。该项目联盟包括皇后大学贝尔法斯特和利物浦大学作为学术合作伙伴，约翰森万丰，Axeon，JLR和空气产品公司作为工业合作伙伴。现有电解质对超氧化物的不稳定性是目前实验室规模锂空气电池实现良好循环寿命的主要障碍，由于由于溶剂分解形成不可逆物质导致的容量衰减，使用电解质。因此，大量的工作将集中在合成能够在锂空气电池中存活的新型电解质上，其中大的操作电压窗口和对超氧化物攻击的降解的免疫力是关键特征，结合实际水平的氧溶解度和离子电导率。新型离子液体电解质和混合物将利用QUB的专业知识合成，并借鉴文献中已有的经验和建模结果，与超氧化物存在下的溶剂稳定性有关。新型阳极和阴极材料和催化剂将与该项目（JM）合成的改进电解质结合制备和测试（JM）。重点还将放在优化新型电解质的阴极结构上，以提高容量、电流密度和循环寿命（JM，Axeon）。通过红外光谱和拉曼光谱电化学技术，了解放电过程中的阴极反应氧还原和新电解质充电过程中的氧析出，将进行（利物浦大学），还将探索新型电解质中阳极界面的行为。通过不同的项目合作伙伴提供的各种分析技术，包括XPS、ATR、电子显微镜和电化学测量，将在项目中应用。电池测试研究将调查各种参数的影响，压力、温度、充电速率，进气中二氧化碳和水杂质的影响，以及可能的进气净化策略该项目的主要成果将是优化的单电池配置，具有最佳的电解质、电极材料和电极结构组合，同时了解电化学以及阴极结构和测试参数对电池性能和循环性能的影响。这些数据有助于建立锂空气电池技术的可行性，并将为未来更大规模示范系统的开发奠定坚实的基础。

This project is centred around the development of a practical lithium air battery single cell with improved performance. Theproject consortium includes Queens University Belfast and Liverpool University as academic partners and JohnsonMatthey, Axeon, JLR and Air Products as the industrial partners.The instability of existing electrolytes to superoxides is a major barrier to achieving good cycle life in current laboratoryscale Li-air cells, due to capacity fade as a result of the formation of irreversible species from solvent decomposition thatoccurs if current Lithium ion battery organic electrolytes are used. Therefore, significant effort will focus on synthesisingnovel electrolytes capable of surviving operation in Li-air batteries, where a large operational voltage window and immunityto degradation from superoxide attack are key features, combined with practical levels of oxygen solubility and ionicconductivity. Novel ionic liquid electrolytes and blends will be synthesised using the expertise at QUB and also drawing onempirical and modelling results already available in the literature, relating to solvent stability in the presence of superoxide.Novel anode and cathode materials and catalysts will be prepared and tested (JM) in combination with improvedelectrolytes synthesised in the project (JM). Emphasis will also be placed on optimising cathode structures for the novelelectrolytes to achieve improved capacity, current density and cycle life (JM, Axeon). Understanding the cathode reactionsoxygen reduction during discharge and oxygen evolution during charge with new electrolytes via iR and Ramanspectroelectrochemistry techniques will be undertaken (Liverpool University) and the behaviour at the anode interface inthe novel electrolytes will also be explored. The wide variety of analytical techniques available via the different projectpartners including XPS, ATR, electron microscopy and electrochemical measurements will be applied within the project.Cell testing studies will investigating the effects of various parameters, pressure, temperature , charge rate, the effect ofcarbon dioxide and water impurities in inlet air and possible inlet air clean up strategies also be considered (JM, Axeon, AirProducts, JLR).The key outputs from the project will be an optimised single cell configuration with the best electrolyte, electrode materialand electrode structure combination, accompanied by understanding of the electrochemistry and the effect of cathodestructure and test parameters on battery performance and cyclability. These data contribute toward establishing thefeasibility of lithium air battery technology and will lay a firm foundation for future development of larger scaledemonstration systems .