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Molecular Foundry

HIGHLIGHTSMicrobe-Assisted Nanocomposite Anodes for Aqueous Li-Ion Batteries
August 30, 2021

Scientific Achievement

A schematic of the microbe-derived titanium oxide composite. The microbe-derived layer allows Li ions to pass while blocking the passage of water molecules.

A team of Foundry users developed a new nanocomposite generated by microbes for creating anodes used in water-in-salt (WIS) Li-ion batteries (LIBs).

Significance and Impact

This is the first report of a biomaterial being deployed in a WIS-based LIB anode. It is a critical step towards developing safer LIBs and opens the door to more sustainable, microbe-derived materials for applications in energy storage.

Research Details

  • The research team synthesized microbe-derived composites on TiO2 and evaluated the effect on the performance of WIS-based LIBs.
  • Microbe-derived anodes had 49% higher capacity and enhanced cycle life compared to anodes made with conventional material.
  • Using density functional theory, the increased performance was attributed to the microbe-derived material containing a high % of pyridinic nitrogen which has a higher binding affinity to water than carbon layers.
P-E Weng, A. Gooyandeh, M. Tariq, T.Li, A. Godara, J. Valenzuela, S. Mancini, S. M. T. Yeung, R. Sosa, D.R. Wagner, R. Dhall, D. Adelstein, K. Kao, D. Oh, ACS Appl. Mater. Int. 2021, 13, 33, 39195 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c07309

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