Bi-functional electrolyte promises longer-life batteries

In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, ORNL researchers are said to have challenged a long-held assumption that a battery’s positive cathode, negative anode and ion-conducting electrolyte can play only one role in the device.

The electrolyte in the team’s new battery design serves as an ion conductor and also as a cathode supplement. This cooperative chemistry, enabled by the use of an ORNL-developed solid electrolyte, is claimed to deliver an extra boost to the battery’s capacity and extends the lifespan of the device.

’This bi-functional electrolyte revolutionizes the concept of conventional batteries and opens a new avenue for the design of batteries with unprecedented energy density,’ said ORNL’s Chengdu Liang.

According to ORNL, the team demonstrated the new concept in a lithium carbon fluoride battery, considered one of the best single-use batteries because of its high energy density, stability and long shelf life.