Bristol makes post-lithium-ion batteries breakthrough

The team is said to have developed high-performance sodium and potassium ion batteries using sustainably sourced cellulose.

In a paper published in Advanced Functional Materials, scientists from the university's Bristol Composites Institute describe a novel controllable unidirectional ice-templating strategy which can tailor the electrochemical performances of next-generation post-lithium-ion batteries with sustainability and large-scale availability.

Currently, electric vehicles and hand-held devices such as mobile phones rely largely on lithium-ion batteries. Batteries have two electrodes and a separator, with an electrolyte between them carrying the charge. Problems associated with using lithium for these batteries include build up of metal inside the devices, which can lead to short circuits and overheating.

Alternatives such as sodium and potassium batteries have not historically performed as well in terms of their rate performance and ability for repeated use. This is due to the larger sizes of sodium and potassium ions, and their ability to move through the batteries’ porous carbon electrodes.