Microwave plastics can increase the service life of lithium sulfur batteries

Researchers have found that soaking low-density plastic in a sulfur-containing solvent, placing it in a microwave oven and converting it into a carbon bracket can make lithium-sulfur batteries more useful and maintain higher capacity.

Engineers at Purdue University have come up with a solution to the problem of plastic landfills, and have also improved batteries-immersing ink-free plastics in sulfur-containing solvents, in microwaves, and then putting them into batteries as carbon brackets.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are known as the next generation of batteries that replace the current lithium ion battery variety. Lithium-sulfur batteries are cheaper and more energy-intensive than lithium-ion batteries, making them important features ranging from electric cars to laptops.

However, the fact that lithium sulfur batteries strike is that they do not last long and can be used for about 100 charging cycles.

Researchers at Purdue University have found a way to increase life in a process that has the added benefit of being a convenient way to recycle plastics. Recently published processes on ACS applications and interfaces have shown that sulfur-soaked plastics can be converted into ideal substances by placing them in microwave ovens, including transparent plastic bags. This will increase the useful life of the upcoming battery to more than 200 recharging cycles.

"No matter how many times you recycle plastic, it stays on Earth," said Weilasiboer, an associate professor at Purdue University's School of Chemical Engineering. "We 've been trying to get rid of it for a long time. It's a way to add at least value. "

The need to reduce landfills is synchronized with the need to make lithium sulphur cells adequate for commercial use.

"As lithium sulfur batteries become more and more popular, we hope to achieve a longer life span," Bohr said.

Low density polyethylene plastics are used for packaging and contain a large amount of plastic waste, which helps to solve the long-term problem of lithium sulfur batteries-a phenomenon called the polysulphide shuttle effect, which limits how long the battery can be charged.

As the name implies, lithium sulfur batteries have lithium and sulfur. When current is applied, lithium ions migrate to sulfur and react chemically to produce lithium sulfide. Polysulfide, a by-product of the reaction, tends to return to the lithium side and prevents lithium ions from migrating to sulfur. This will reduce the battery's charging capacity and life.

"The easiest way to block polysulfides is to set up a physical barrier between lithium and sulfur," said Patelikejin, a chemical engineering assistant researcher at Purdue University.

Previous studies have attempted to create such barriers using biomass, such as banana skins and puffer shells, because pores in carbon derived from biomass may capture polymetallic sulphides.

"Each material has its own advantages, but the biomass is well preserved and can be used for other purposes," Bohr said. "Waste plastics are really worthless and heavily burdened materials. "

Instead, the researchers figured out how to incorporate plastic into a carbon bracket to inhibit the transport of polymetallic sulphides through the battery. Past studies have shown that low-density polyethylene plastics combine with sulfonated groups to produce carbon.

The researchers dipped a plastic bag in a sulfur-containing solvent and put it in a microwave oven cheaply to provide the rapidly rising temperatures needed to convert it into low-density polyethylene. Heat promotes the sulfonation and carbonization of plastics and causes higher densities of trapped polysulphide pores. Low-density polyethylene plastics can then be made into carbon scaffolding to separate half of the lithium and sulfur in battery button batteries.

"Plastics derived carbon from this process include negatively charged sulfonate groups, which are also present in polysulfides," Kim said. Sulfonated low-density polyethylene is made into a carbon scaffold, so polysulphides are inhibited by having similar chemical structures.

"This is the first step in increasing battery capacity retention," Pol said. "The next step is to use this concept to make larger batteries. "

The study was carried out by the Naval Enterprise Partnership in collaboration with the National Centre for Excellence in Electricity and Energy Research at Purdue University.

The page contains the contents of the machine translation.