[Research Report] GMS prevents cathode degradation in Lithium-Air Batteries, contributing to longer battery life

New research results on graphene mesosponge (GMS), a next-generation carbon material that 3DC plans to mass-produce, have been published from Nishihara Laboratory.

3DC is the university start-up company that aims to commercialize GMS, which was invented at the Nishihara Laboratory (Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University).
Currently, some patents related to GMS have been transferred from Tohoku University to 3DC.

Lithium-air batteries are next-generation storage batteries that are expected to achieve energy densities many times higher than current lithium-ion batteries. However, lithium-air batteries have a major problem: they cannot be repeatedly charged and discharged due to severe degradation of the carbon cathode, lithium anode, and electrolyte.

In this research, GMS was successfully used in the cathode of a lithium-air battery to extend the charge-discharge cycle life six times longer than conventional carbon cathode materials such as carbon black, carbon nanotubes, and activated carbon. In addition, due to the large number of nanopores inside GMS, it has achieved a high capacity of 6700 mAh/g, far exceeding that of conventional materials. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the nanostructure of GMS using state-of-the-art analytical methods, mathematical analysis and theoretical calculations has revealed material design guidelines to achieve both high performance and high durability.

This research is expected to contribute to the practical application of lithium-air batteries.

The results of this study were published in the journal Advanced Science on April 10, 2023 (local time).

Please see below for details.

①Paper
Edge-Site-Free and Topological-Defect-Rich Carbon Cathode for High-Performance Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

②Press release from Tohoku University
リチウム空気電池を長寿命化するカーボン新素材を発見 従来のカーボン正極の劣化をグラフェンメソスポンジで克服

‍