Will Lithium-Air Batteries Power The World?

The lithiumair battery (Li-air) ismetal-airbattery chemistry that uses oxidation of lithium at anode and reduction of oxygen at the cathode to inducecurrent flow. It was originally proposed in the 1970s as a possible power source forthe battery of an electric vehicle.Lithium-airbatteries retaking attention from the scientist in the late 2000s owing to developments material technology in an increasing demand for renewable energy sources. The major demand of the lithiumair battery is its extremely high energy amount that can store for a given weight.

Lithium-airbatteries arework on ambient oxygen, which isan environment-friendlyway to store energy and power electric vehicles, houses, and industries of the future. Currently, lithium-air battery functioning only on a laboratory scale but as seeing the need of renewable energy source in future prospective, Lithium-air batteries is the sustainable and environment-friendly way to store energy and power electric vehicles, houses, and industries of the future.

Currently, research laboratories around the globe are focusing onthe developmentof lithium-ion batteries for cheaper, safer, and longer-lived energy source. The study attended by Amin Salehi-Khojin of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Larry Curtiss at Argonne National Lab have described on a new design for a lithium -air battery cell that operates by a reaction with air over manychargesand discharge cycles. This cell was still operative after a 700 charge/discharge cycles. This represents a significant advance in battery technology as it is the first demo of a true lithium-air battery and its application as low-cost materials.

Lithium-air batteries are anticipated to revolutionize the automotive sector (as it will beusedfor electric cars and vehicles) and electrochemical energy storage systems by surpassing the energy capacities of conventional Li-ion batteries. However, the practical implementation of Li-air batteries is still restrained by many challenges, such as low cyclic performance and high charging voltage.