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Arginine as a Multifunctional Additive for High Performance S-Cathode.
Lulu Ren1, Ying Guo1, Chunhua Ying1
1School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA-99164, USA.
Chemsuschem
|January 3, 2025
Summary
Arginine, an amino acid, effectively traps polysulfides in lithium-sulfur batteries. This enhances performance and stability by reducing shuttle effects and improving ion diffusion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries offer high theoretical energy density but face challenges.
- Key issues include the insulating nature of sulfur, slow redox kinetics, and polysulfide dissolution/shuttling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of arginine (Arg), an amino acid, as a functional additive in sulfur cathodes for Li-S batteries.
- To address polysulfide shuttling and improve electrochemical performance.
Main Methods:
- Computational simulation to predict arginine-polysulfide interactions.
- Experimental synthesis and characterization of sulfur cathodes with arginine additive.
- Electrochemical testing including rate capability and cycling stability analysis.
Main Results:
- Simulations confirmed strong interactions between positively charged arginine and polysulfides.
- Experimental results showed arginine effectively trapped polysulfides, mitigating shuttle effects.
- Addition of 1 wt% arginine enhanced electrolyte wettability, ion diffusion, and redox kinetics.
- The modified cathode exhibited improved rate performance and long-term cycling stability.
Conclusions:
- Arginine acts as an effective bio-additive in sulfur cathodes, trapping polysulfides and enhancing Li-S battery performance.
- Amino acids show significant potential for developing advanced, sustainable energy storage solutions.
- This approach offers a novel strategy for overcoming key limitations in Li-S battery technology.
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