Lithium–air battery
| Specific energy | 11,140 (theoretical) W·h/kg |
|---|---|
| Energy density | ??? |
| Specific power | ??? |
| Nominal cell voltage | 2.91 V |
The lithium-air battery (Li-air) is a metal–air electrochemical cell or battery chemistry that uses oxidation of lithium at the anode and reduction of oxygen at the cathode to induce a current flow.
Originally proposed in the 1970s as a possible power source for battery electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles, Li-air batteries recaptured scientific interest late in the first decade of the 2000s due to advances in materials science and technology.
Pairing lithium, and oxygen (from air), can theoretically lead to electrochemical cells with the highest specific energy possible. Indeed, the theoretical specific energy of a non-aqueous Li-air battery (in the charged state with Li2O2 product and excluding the oxygen mass) is ~12 kWh/kg. This is comparable with the theoretical specific energy of gasoline (~13 kWh/kg). In practice, the Li-air batteries with a specific energy of ~1.7 kWh/kg at the cell level have been developed. This is about 5 times greater than that of a commercial lithium-ion battery, and is sufficient to run a fully electric vehicle (FEV) for 500 km (310 miles) on one charge. (A 700 Wh/kg battery with an electric motor would be comparable with an internal combustion engine system in the driving range per kg, while lithium ion batteries have only 105 Wh/kg at the pack level, i.e., they are limited to <150 km (93 miles) driving range at the same weight). However, the areal power and cycle life of lithium–oxygen–air batteries need significant improvements before they can find any competitive market niche.
Significant advances in multiple fields are needed to develop a commercial implementation. Four approaches are active: aprotic,aqueous,solid state and mixed aqueous–aprotic.
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