Professor Dennis Y.C. Leung of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and his team worked on the research for the topic “Next-generation magnesium-ion batteries: the quasi-solid-state approach to multivalent metal ion storage”. The research findings were recently published in Science Advances on August 9, 2023.
Details of the publication:
Next-generation magnesium-ion batteries: the quasi-solid-state approach to multivalent metal ion storage
Kee Wah Leong, Wending Pan, Xiaoping Yi, Shijing Luo, Xiaolong Zhao, Yingguang Zhang, Yifei Wang, Jianjun Mao, Yue Chen, Jin Xuan, Huizhi Wang, and Dennis Y. C. Leung, article in Science Advances,
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh1181
Abstract:
Mg-ion batteries offer a safe, low-cost, and high–energy density alternative to current Li-ion batteries. However, nonaqueous Mg-ion batteries struggle with poor ionic conductivity, while aqueous batteries face a narrow electrochemical window. Our group previously developed a water-in-salt battery with an operating voltage above 2 V yet still lower than its nonaqueous counterpart because of the dominance of proton over Mg-ion insertion in the cathode. We designed a quasi-solid-state magnesium-ion battery (QSMB) that confines the hydrogen bond network for true multivalent metal ion storage. The QSMB demonstrates an energy density of 264 W·hour kg−1, nearly five times higher than aqueous Mg-ion batteries and a voltage plateau (2.6 to 2.0 V), outperforming other Mg-ion batteries. In addition, it retains 90% of its capacity after 900 cycles at subzero temperatures (−22°C). The QSMB leverages the advantages of aqueous and nonaqueous systems, offering an innovative approach to designing high-performing Mg-ion batteries and other multivalent metal ion batteries