| Project Detail |
CO2 management with advanced battery design Rising CO2 levels are a major environmental issue, and current reduction methods are not keeping up. Li-CO2 batteries could help by capturing CO2 and storing energy, but their performance is limited by slow conversion processes. With the support of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PASSION project aims to develop a new type of battery cathode. Specifically, it will use a combination of special materials to boost CO2 conversion in these batteries: poly(ionic liquid)s will capture CO2 before reduction, while atomic catalysts with different metal centres will speed up the reaction. This new design will target an energy density of 500 Wh/kg, improving both CO2 capture and battery efficiency. The rising CO2 emission has underscored the need for innovative approaches toward CO2 management. Li-CO2 batteries provide a promising strategy for direct CO2 fixation in energy storage devices with a high theoretical specific energy of 1876 Wh/kg, highlighting in effective CO2 management. A key challenge in Li-CO2 batteries is that the sluggish CO2 conversion including CO2 reduction reaction (CRR) and evolution reaction (CER) in cathode seriously deteriorates battery performance. In this project, we propose an integrated cathode design with combined pre-activator molecules and bidirectional atomic catalytic materials in cathode for improving CO2 conversion efficiency. Poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) with high CO2 affinity, good compatibility to lithium salt and wide electrochemical window, are designed with amine groups as pre-activators in cathode for achieving CO2 activation before electroreduction on catalysts. The diatomic catalysts (DACs) with highly active dual metal centres and theoretical 100% atom utilization, are screened out as bidirectional catalysts for improving CRR/CER simultaneously. Such PILs-modified DACs will be 3D printed into self-supporting integrated cathode with designed open channels and interconnected conductive skeleton, to grant enough solid products support and effective transportation of CO2, Li ion and electron in cathode. Consequently, Li-CO2 batteries with long cycle life (over 1000 cycles) and high energy density (500 Wh/kg or above) will be targeted. In combination with in situ electrochemical characterizations and DFT calculations, mechanism of CO2 conversion in designed cathode will be clarified in this project. Results from this project will inspire cathode design of Li-CO2 batteries on pre-activator and catalytic conversion beyond direct electroreduction on catalysts. It will broaden the perspective on atomically dispersed catalysts and promote the development of energy storage devices accompanied by CO2 utilization. |
