1
|
Jethwa RB, Mondal S, Pant B, Freunberger SA. To DISP or Not? The Far-Reaching Reaction Mechanisms Underpinning Lithium-Air Batteries. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202316476. [PMID: 38095355 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202316476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
The short history of research on Li-O2 batteries has seen a remarkable number of mechanistic U-turns over the years. From the initial use of carbonate electrolytes, that were then found to be entirely unsuitable, to the belief that (su)peroxide was solely responsible for degradation, before the more reactive singlet oxygen was found to form, to the hypothesis that capacity depends on a competing surface/solution mechanism before a practically exclusive solution mechanism was identified. Herein, we argue for an ever-fresh look at the reported data without bias towards supposedly established explanations. We explain how the latest findings on rate and capacity limits, as well as the origin of side reactions, are connected via the disproportionation (DISP) step in the (dis)charge mechanism. Therefrom, directions emerge for the design of electrolytes and mediators on how to suppress side reactions and to enable high rate and high reversible capacity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajesh B Jethwa
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Soumyadip Mondal
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Bhargavi Pant
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Stefan A Freunberger
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mondal S, Jethwa RB, Pant B, Hauschild R, Freunberger SA. Singlet oxygen formation in non-aqueous oxygen redox chemistry: direct spectroscopic evidence for formation pathways and reliability of chemical probes. Faraday Discuss 2024; 248:175-189. [PMID: 37750344 DOI: 10.1039/d3fd00088e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Singlet oxygen (1O2) formation is now recognised as a key aspect of non-aqueous oxygen redox chemistry. For identifying 1O2, chemical trapping via 9,10-dimethylanthracene (DMA) to form the endoperoxide (DMA-O2) has become the main method due to its sensitivity, selectivity, and ease of use. While DMA has been shown to be selective for 1O2, rather than forming DMA-O2 with a wide variety of potentially reactive O-containing species, false positives might hypothetically be obtained in the presence of previously overlooked species. Here, we first provide unequivocal direct spectroscopic proof via the 1O2-specific near-infrared (NIR) emission at 1270 nm for the previously proposed 1O2 formation pathways, which centre around superoxide disproportionation. We then show that peroxocarbonates, common intermediates in metal-O2 and metal carbonate electrochemistry, do not produce false-positive DMA-O2. Moreover, we identify a previously unreported 1O2-forming pathway through the reaction of CO2 with superoxide. Overall, we provide unequivocal proof for 1O2 formation in non-aqueous oxygen redox chemistry and show that chemical trapping with DMA is a reliable method to assess 1O2 formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soumyadip Mondal
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Rajesh B Jethwa
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Bhargavi Pant
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Robert Hauschild
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Stefan A Freunberger
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pierini A, Brutti S, Bodo E. Study of the Electronic Structure of Alkali Peroxides and Their Role in the Chemistry of Metal-Oxygen Batteries. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:9368-9376. [PMID: 34649438 PMCID: PMC8558866 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c07255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
We
use a multiconfigurational
and correlated ab initio method to
investigate the fundamental electronic properties of the peroxide
MO2– (M = Li and Na) trimer to provide
new insights into the rather complex chemistry of aprotic metal–O2 batteries. These electrochemical systems are largely based
on the electronic properties of superoxide and peroxide of alkali
metals. The two compounds differ by stoichiometry: the superoxide
is characterized by a M+O2– formula, while the peroxide is characterized by [M+]2O22–. We show here that both
the peroxide and superoxide states necessarily coexist in the MO2– trimer and that they correspond to their
different electronic states. The energetic prevalence of either one
or the other and the range of their coexistence over a subset of the
MO2– nuclear configurations is calculated
and described via a high-level multiconfigurational approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Pierini
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rome "La Sapienza", P. A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Sergio Brutti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rome "La Sapienza", P. A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy.,GISEL-Centro di Riferimento Nazionale per i Sistemi di Accumulo Elettrochimico di Energia, INSTM via G. Giusti 9, Firenze 50121, Italy
| | - Enrico Bodo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rome "La Sapienza", P. A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Schürmann A, Luerßen B, Mollenhauer D, Janek J, Schröder D. Singlet Oxygen in Electrochemical Cells: A Critical Review of Literature and Theory. Chem Rev 2021; 121:12445-12464. [PMID: 34319075 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Rechargeable metal/O2 batteries have long been considered a promising future battery technology in automobile and stationary applications. However, they suffer from poor cyclability and rapid degradation. A recent hypothesis is the formation of singlet oxygen (1O2) as the root cause of these issues. Validation, evaluation, and understanding of the formation of 1O2 are therefore essential for improving metal/O2 batteries. We review literature and use Marcus theory to discuss the possibility of singlet oxygen formation in metal/O2 batteries as a product from (electro)chemical reactions. We conclude that experimental evidence is yet not fully conclusive, and side reactions can play a major role in verifying the existence of singlet oxygen. Following an in-depth analysis based on Marcus theory, we conclude that 1O2 can only originate from a chemical step. A direct electrochemical generation, as proposed by others, can be excluded on the basis of theoretical arguments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Schürmann
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Giessen, Germany.,Center for Materials Research (LaMa), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Bjoern Luerßen
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Giessen, Germany.,Center for Materials Research (LaMa), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Doreen Mollenhauer
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Giessen, Germany.,Center for Materials Research (LaMa), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Janek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Giessen, Germany.,Center for Materials Research (LaMa), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Daniel Schröder
- Institute of Energy and Process Systems Engineering (InES), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19B, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Enhancing the Capacity and Stability by CoFe 2O 4 Modified g-C 3N 4 Composite for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries. NANOMATERIALS 2021; 11:nano11051088. [PMID: 33922335 PMCID: PMC8146125 DOI: 10.3390/nano11051088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
As society progresses, the task of developing new green energy brooks no delay. Li-O2 batteries have high theoretical capacity, but are difficult to put into practical use due to problems such as high overvoltage, low charge-discharge efficiency, poor rate, and cycle performance. The development of high-efficiency catalysts to effectively solve the shortcomings of Li-O2 batteries is of great significance to finding a solution for energy problems. Herein, we design CoFe2O4/g-C3N4 composites, and combine the advantages of the g-C3N4 material with the spinel-type metal oxide material. The flaky structure of g-C3N4 accelerates the transportation of oxygen and lithium ions and inhibits the accumulation of CoFe2O4 particles. The CoFe2O4 materials accelerate the decomposition of Li2O2 and reduce electrode polarization in the charge–discharge reaction. When CoFe2O4/g-C3N4 composites are used as catalysts in Li-O2 batteries, the battery has a better discharge specific capacity of 9550 mA h g−1 (catalyst mass), and the cycle stability of the battery has been improved, which is stable for 85 cycles.
Collapse
|