Title: Towards printed lignin-based batteries
Speaker: Prof. Reverant Crispin (Link?ping University, Sweden)
Time: December 7, 14:50
Venue: Building D of the School of Light Industry and Engineering, Wushan Campus(Room 306)
[Abstract]
The concept of zero-energy device for internet-of-things requires electronics, energy convertor and storage devices. To bring that concept to the internet-of-everything, the materials should also be low-cost, recyclable, safe and environmentally friendly. In addition, all the components （electrode and electrolyte） must be printable to ensure low-cost manufacturing. Organic synthetic and bio-polymers are attractive as battery electrodes due to their redox properties; but also as electrolytes due to their ability to transport ions. In this talk, we summarize our results focusing on three material concepts for organic batteries based on forest materials.
We first review our effort to reach low-cost lignin electrodes by either combining with conducting polymers or carbon based nanoconductors. The target was to consider very low-cost materials and to bring the electronic conductivity at the molecular scale towards the catechol units belonging to the lignin biopolymer since they are electrochemically actives and can participate to the charge storage. The next work introduces a new class of electrolyte working in the regime of “water-in-polymer salt electrolyte”. It combines non-flammability, wide electrochemical stability windows and enables aqueous organic batteries to get low self-discharge behaviour. We then focus on the transport of ions and the state of water within those polymer electrolytes. Finally, we increase the voltage and the energy density of the battery by considering zinc as a low-cost electrode. The challenge of making zinc-lignin batteries, which is the evolution of hydrogen gas and the dendrite formation are solved by developing further the “water-in-polymer salt electrolyte” to accommodate and transport zinc cations.
Announced by the School of Light Industry and Engineering
