Tellurium Electrode Material Improves Capacity of Lithium Battery

Researchers from Singapore's Science and Technology Research Bureau have found that tellurium can be used as an electrode material for lithium ion batteries, which can simultaneously improve the capacity and output energy of the batteries.

Due to the low efficiency of traditional oxide cathode materials and the poor conductivity of sulfide and selenium electrodes, researchers decided to investigate the performance of tellurium as battery material. Researchers first heated tellurium to 500.d egree. C. until tellurium melted and melted into the porous carbon electrode, and then used it as a positive electrode material to test its performance in four different electrolytes. This material shows the best performance in dimethyl sulfoxide solvent. Researchers found that lithium reacts with tellurium during the discharge to form a compound soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide. In contrast, lithium will not react with sulfur and selenium to generate compounds, which will lead to volume expansion and structural damage of the electrode. Although the battery with tellurium electrode has a lower capacity for the first time, its charge-discharge rate is faster and its cycle stability is better.

On the basis of this research, the researchers designed an electrode made entirely of tellurium nanofibers, which is only 7 nanometers wide. The researchers then wound these electrodes together, its capacity can reach 1.5 times that of traditional lithium cobaltate batteries, and its capacity retention rate can reach 98% after 80 charge and discharge cycles.

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