Chinese scientists have developed a high-energy-density LR03 alkaline battery based on mold spore carbon technology

Xia Xinhui, a researcher at the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Zhejiang University, has developed the first high-energy-density LR03 alkaline battery based on mold spore carbon technology. They introduced mold spore carbon fermented from discarded fruits and vegetables as energy storage materials into the energy field to obtain a high-energy-density battery with a specific capacity three times higher than the best battery on the market. In the future, it is expected to solve the problem of long-distance driving of electric vehicles. In addition, it has many advantages in terms of cost and service life. This achievement was recently reported by the world materials journal Advanced Materials.

"LR03 alkaline battery is a new type of high-energy-density battery. It uses sulfur as the positive electrode of the battery and metallic lithium as the negative electrode. Its theoretical capacity far exceeds that of the current commercial lithium battery." Xia Xinhui introduced that sulfur has high capacity density and sufficient energy, and is expected to be the next generation of battery materials. However, there is a fatal drawback of sulfur alone, that is, sulfur itself is insulating, and the intermediate products of the reaction will dissolve in the electrolyte and cause losses.

For a long time, the scientific community has been looking for a host for sulfur to fix the sulfur element, and the research of Xia Xinhui's team also began. Out of curiosity, they conducted an experiment with two rotten oranges, and accidentally opened up a research direction. The researchers first cultured the mold through fermentation, then optimized its structure using nickel's pore-forming ability, and then prepared a new mold spore carbon/nano nickel phosphide composite material after high-temperature carbonization. After that, it was fused with sulfur. At a temperature of 155 degrees Celsius, the sulfur was melted and mixed with the carbon material in a molten state, and the carried sulfur entered the host.

The results show that this new mold spore carbon/nano nickel phosphide benefits from its own high porosity, high conductivity, large specific surface area and multiple sulfur storage sites, and can perform physical/chemical dual adsorption on intermediate products, which can greatly improve battery performance. Not only that, if the discarded grains, fruits and vegetables can be fermented and reused to prepare mold spore carbon materials, waste utilization can also be achieved and good economic benefits can be generated.

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