CO2 into battery power? China to turn emissions into energy for Mars rovers, robots
Adding the catalyst to the porous cathode increase the energy efficiency of the battery beyond 81 percent.
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Adding the catalyst to the porous cathode increase the energy efficiency of the battery beyond 81 percent.
A new bidirectional catalyst developed by researchers at Tsinghua University in China could advance the development of lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO2) batteries. Capable of powering rovers, these batteries could help turn emissions into a resource that could be used on Mars and beyond.
Lithium-ion batteries are an important component in our transition to cleaner and greener economies without carbon emissions. The battery capable of delivering the highest energy density is used to power electric vehicles and store renewable energy for later use.
However, the weight of these batteries makes them unsuitable for use in sectors such as aviation and aerospace, where lighter batteries with longer ranges and higher power output are required. This is where a Lithium-carbon dioxide battery capable of delivering up to 10 times the energy density of a lithium-ion battery can help.
A Li-CO2 battery consists of a non-aqueous electrolyte and electrodes made of lithium and a porous material. The lithium serves as the anode, while the porous material serves as the cathode, where carbon dioxide is reduced to lithium carbonate during the battery discharging process.
In addition to making batteries lighter, the process also directly uses carbon dioxide gas, captured either directly from the air or through carbon capture technologies deployed at various manufacturing facilities. This makes it a vital resource for reducing carbon emissions on Earth.
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