Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) have gained significant attention as energy storage solutions surpassing lithium-ion batteries. This is because they have potentially higher energy density and their abundant presence in our earth’s crust. However, the commercialization of this technology is being hindered because we lack suitable cathode materials. So, to address this issue, scientists have designed disordered rocksalt oxides for rechargeable magnesium batteries which we will cover in this post.
Currently, the researchers at Tohoku University in Japan have created a novel cathode material for RMBs. The researchers have used an enhanced rock-salt structure, which allows efficient charging as well as discharging even at low temperatures.
Their study shows a big improvement in how magnesium moves within a rock-salt structure. This is an important advancement since the closeness of atoms in this setup makes it hard for magnesium to migrate. Let us take a look at the following key points discovered by the researchers:
“Magnesium batteries, featuring the newly developed cathode material, are poised to play a pivotal role in various applications, including grid storage, electric vehicles, and portable electronic devices, contributing to the global shift towards renewable energy and reduced carbon footprints,” Tomoya Kawaguchi, the lead author of this research, conveyed.
This is the first time rocksalt oxide is being used as a cathode material for RMBs. This new development also tackles a major limitation with RMBs– it’s hard for magnesium to move around in solid materials. Before this, a really high temperature was required to help enhance magnesium’s mobility in conventional cathode materials like those with a spinel structure.
Also, check out this research done by Tohoku University – Mechanically Durable Nanocellular Graphene Can Improve Sodium Ion Batteries
Highlights
- The researchers created a strategic mix of 7 different metallic elements (Mg0.35Li0.3Cr0.1Mn0.05Fe0.05Zn0.05Mo0.1O).
- They made a crystal structure with lots of stable spaces for magnesium to go in and out easily.
- They found out that when they take out lithium cations during the first charge, it creates a lot of cation vacancies in the rocksalt structure. This facilitates magnesium to move around in subsequent cycles.
- The material developed by the researchers of Tohoku University is working well even at 90° C. It clearly indicates the possibility to use it at comparatively lower temperatures.
- Researchers discovered the reversible capacity of new material to be about 90 mA h g-1.
- Moreover, it worked well at 10.4 mA g-1 of material with 2.0V against Mg2+/Mg at 90° Celsius.
- The spinel-oxide cathodes have an operating temperature of 150 ° C. This temperature is thus quite less comparatively.
Ultimately, this breakthrough of disordered rocksalt oxides for rechargeable magnesium batteries is a very important step for the development of more efficient and eco-friendly energy storage solutions.
Source: Unleashing Disordered Rocksalt Oxides as Cathodes for RMBs
