Semi-solid electrolyte improves lithium-sulphur batteries

The advance from A*STAR’s NanoBio Lab (NBL) is said to pave the way for lithium-sulphur batteries to be used as power solutions in electronic and energy storage applications.

‘World’s most efficient lithium-sulphur battery’ set for launch

According to A*STAR, solid-state electrolytes have shown potential for improving the safety profile of lithium batteries, but their poor electrode/electrolyte contact and limited ionic conductivity have resulted in major conductivity bottlenecks and low performance. Their findings are published in Nano Energy.

Prof. Jackie Y. Ying, head of the NBL research team said: “Hybrid quasi-solid electrolytes comprising both liquid and solid components have emerged as a practical compromise to obtain safer batteries while maintaining good performance.

“However, the high resistance of the solid component has thus far limited the performance of such batteries. To overcome this, we have re-engineered the microstructure of the solid component. Our solution eliminates electrolyte leakage and is thermally and mechanically stable.”