Researchers in Switzerland say they have identified two materials that could spur key advances in the efficiency of aluminium batteries.
Scientists based at ETH Zurich and Empa— the Swiss Federal Laboratory for Materials Science Technology— have been researching and developing batteries made from abundant raw materials.
The group, led by ETH professor of functional inorganic materials Maksym Kovalenko (pictured), says its research is now bearing fruit.
The first discovery is a “corrosion-resistant material for the conductive parts of the battery” and the second is a “novel material for the battery’s positive pole that can be adapted to a wide range of technical requirements”.
The group’s report, ‘Polypyrenes as High-Performance Cathode Materials for Aluminum Batteries’,published in Advanced Materials, describes the two materials. The first is titanium nitride, a ceramic substance that demonstrates a high conductivity and resistance to corrosion and the second is polypyrene, a hydrocarbon that could replace graphite as the basis of the positive electrode in the batteries.
Kovalenko said one of the advantages of electrodes containing polypyrene is that scientists are able to influence their properties, such as the porosity. “The material can therefore be adapted perfectly to the specific application.”
“In contrast, the graphite used at present is a mineral. From a chemical engineering perspective, it cannot be modified,” Kovalenko said.
According to Kovalenko, “as both titanium nitride and polypyrene are flexible materials, the researchers believe they are suitable for use in pouch cells”.
Details of the research are online.
