For use in portable electronics and electrical transport require batteries with higher energy density than existing lithium-ion batteries. As possible solutions to use is called a lithium metal, silicon and tin as an anode and sulfur and oxygen - as cathodes. In this case, the lithium metal has the highest specific capacity - 3860 mA � h / g - and the lowest anode potential of all.
However, on the lithium anode formed tree and mossy growths that lead to security problems and a sharp decrease in the Coulomb efficiency after a certain number of charge cycles. Research has helped scientists understand the growth process of lithium crystals, but effective methods of abatement of lithium metal anode is still not there.
According to the published article in the journal Nature, a team of researchers from Stanford University managed to make significant progress in the search for solutions to the problems articulated. Scientists propose lithium anode coated with a monolayer of interconnected hollow carbon nanospheres amorphous, insulating metal surface. As a result, no growths are formed at a density of 1 mA / cm 2, and the coulomb efficiency increases to 99% for more than 150 cycles of recharge. This is significantly
better than anodes Coulomb efficiency which begins to decline rapidly after 100 cycles.
The researchers note that the solution can be used to create batteries based on lithium metal batteries.