China successfully developed a new type of aluminum-graphite double-ion battery

Recently, it was learned from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that the Institute's integrated functional film material research center has successfully developed a new type of aluminum-graphite double-ion battery that can significantly improve the performance of electric vehicles.

New aluminum-graphite double-ion battery structure and working principle

According to the introduction of the research center, this new type of AGDIB battery uses cheap and easily available graphite to replace the traditional high-cost lithium-containing transition metal oxide or lithium iron phosphate as a battery cathode material; aluminum foil is used as a battery anode material and cathode Current collector; using conventional lithium salt and carbonate solvent as electrolyte. The working principle of the battery is different from the traditional lithium ion battery. During the charging process, the positive electrode graphite undergoes an anion intercalation reaction, while the aluminum negative electrode undergoes an aluminum-lithium alloying reaction, and the discharging process is the opposite. This new reaction mechanism not only significantly increases the battery operating voltage (3.8-4.6V), but also significantly reduces the battery's quality, volume, and manufacturing costs, thereby improving the overall battery energy density.

The research center announced that it is estimated that the full battery mass energy density and volume energy density of this type of battery will be as high as about 222Wh/kg. The 500Kg AGDIB battery has a cruising range of approximately 550 kilometers. Compared with the traditional lithium battery technology, this kind of battery has obvious advantages. Not only the production cost is reduced by about 40-50%, but also the energy density is increased by at least 1.3-2.0 times. If this aluminum-graphite battery is successfully industrialized, it will significantly increase the performance of existing portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and new energy storage systems. However, the current battery technology has yet to be optimized, such as the need to further improve the battery's cycle stability.

According to reports, this achievement was jointly developed by Tang Yongbing and his research team members Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Fan. The related paper “A Novel Alpha-Graphite Dual-Ion Battery” was published online in the top journal of energy materials. Advanced Energy Materials has applied for two PCT patents and one Chinese invention patent. The study was funded by the Guangdong Provincial Innovation Research Team, the Shenzhen Science and Technology Plan Project and the National Natural Science Foundation.