Metal-air batteries,especially lithium and sodium air technologies,have attracted significant research attention in the past decade.The high theoretical specific energy(3500 Wh kg^(-1)for Li-O_(2)and 1600 Wh kg^(-1)fo...Metal-air batteries,especially lithium and sodium air technologies,have attracted significant research attention in the past decade.The high theoretical specific energy(3500 Wh kg^(-1)for Li-O_(2)and 1600 Wh kg^(-1)for Na-O_(2))and moderate equilibrium potential(2.96 V for Li-O_(2)and 2.3 V for Na-O_(2))make these chemistries attractive energy storage platforms for transportation,autonomous aircraft,and emergent robotics technologies.The term metal-air battery,however,hardly describes the cell design under most active investigation by researchers;in most studies,O_(2)is used in place of air as the active material in the battery cathode.This change,designed to eliminate the formation of electrochemically stable metal hydroxide and metal carbonate discharge products when CO_(2)and moisture present in ambient air react with metal ions in the cathode,introduces significant new complications for practical metal-air battery design and operation that largely defeat the competitive advantages of this storage technology.Recent work has shown that when a mixture of O_(2)and CO_(2)is used as the active material in the cathode,it is possible to recharge a metal-O_(2)/CO_(2)cell provided steps are taken to prevent electrolyte decomposition during recharge.In this highlight,we critically review the literature on metal-O_(2)/CO_(2)cells,focusing on how the presence of CO_(2)in the active cathode material changes electrochemistry at the cathode and rechargeability of the cells.We also assess the progress and future prospects for metal-air battery technologies involving ambient air as the cathode gas.展开更多
基金supported by the National Science Foundation,Award no.DMR-1006323by Award no.KUS-C1-018-02,made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology(KAUST).
文摘Metal-air batteries,especially lithium and sodium air technologies,have attracted significant research attention in the past decade.The high theoretical specific energy(3500 Wh kg^(-1)for Li-O_(2)and 1600 Wh kg^(-1)for Na-O_(2))and moderate equilibrium potential(2.96 V for Li-O_(2)and 2.3 V for Na-O_(2))make these chemistries attractive energy storage platforms for transportation,autonomous aircraft,and emergent robotics technologies.The term metal-air battery,however,hardly describes the cell design under most active investigation by researchers;in most studies,O_(2)is used in place of air as the active material in the battery cathode.This change,designed to eliminate the formation of electrochemically stable metal hydroxide and metal carbonate discharge products when CO_(2)and moisture present in ambient air react with metal ions in the cathode,introduces significant new complications for practical metal-air battery design and operation that largely defeat the competitive advantages of this storage technology.Recent work has shown that when a mixture of O_(2)and CO_(2)is used as the active material in the cathode,it is possible to recharge a metal-O_(2)/CO_(2)cell provided steps are taken to prevent electrolyte decomposition during recharge.In this highlight,we critically review the literature on metal-O_(2)/CO_(2)cells,focusing on how the presence of CO_(2)in the active cathode material changes electrochemistry at the cathode and rechargeability of the cells.We also assess the progress and future prospects for metal-air battery technologies involving ambient air as the cathode gas.
