The layered look of lithium sulfur

News Brief

June 09, 2017

• PNNL News & Media Relations, (509) 375-3776

RICHLAND, Wash. — In the quest for longer-lasting lithium rechargeable batteries, some researchers are looking to use sulfur as electrodes. The chemistry of lithium-sulfur, in theory, could allow electric vehicles to go twice as far as conventional batteries. But, in practice, unwanted chemical reactions clog the electrodes quickly, meaning a short lifespan for the batteries as their ability to hold a charge fades.

Now, researchers have gotten the best look yet at what's going on when a lithium-sulfur battery is charging and discharging. First they had to adapt a laboratory instrument to trap the products of the unwanted chemical reactions. But then the team saw how the components of the batteries — electrodes and the liquid electrolytes that help create the electric current — interact and form an interfering layer on the electrodes.

Understanding how the layer builds up might help scientists solve the lithium-sulfur fading problem, which could lead to more affordable batteries. "Sulfur is significantly cheaper than current cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries," said researcher Vijay Murugesan of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "So the total cost of a lithium-sulfur battery will be low."

Find out here what the team from PNNL, Texas A&M University, and DOE's Joint Center for Energy Storage Research learned when they combined computational modeling with data from the modified instrument. Some of the work they performed in EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a DOE Office of Science user facility located at PNNL.

Tags: Energy, Fundamental Science, EMSL, Batteries, Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Materials

EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, is a DOE Office of Science user facility. Located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., EMSL offers an open, collaborative environment for scientific discovery to researchers around the world. Its integrated computational and experimental resources enable researchers to realize important scientific insights and create new technologies. Follow EMSL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on signature capabilities in chemistry, earth sciences, and data analytics to advance scientific discovery and create solutions to the nation's toughest challenges in energy resiliency and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit PNNL's News Center. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.