09 IN FOCUS A novel cathode design concept that substantially improves the performance of potential next-generation batteries has been developed by a research team led by Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering and Environment Prof. ZHAO Tianshou, Chair Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Director of HKUST Energy Institute. Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are seen as signi cant potential alternatives to the lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries commonly used in smartphones, electric vehicles, and drones. They are known for their high energy density, holding out the possibility that the km range for driving a Li-ion battery-powered electric vehicle on a single charge could be extended to km- km. In addition, their major component, sulfur, is eco-friendly, naturally abundant, light, and cost-e ective. However, Li–S batteries have faced several challenges in moving the technology to an industrial scale. These include progressive leakage of active material from cathode and lithium corrosion, resulting in a short battery life, and the need to reduce the amount of electrolyte in the battery while maintaining stable battery performance. Prof. Zhao, who has made seminal contributions in the areas of fuel cells and advanced batteries, and his School of Engineering team collaborated with international researchers from Argonne National Laboratory and Stanford University in the US, Xiamen University in Mainland China, and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Saudi Arabia to address these problems. The research ndings have been published in Nature Nanotechnology. The researchers’ innovative cathode design comprised nanoparticles and a single-atom catalyst to form double-end binding sites inside a highly oriented macroporous host. The host could then uniformly accommodate the sulfur while abundant active sites, embedded inside, tightly absorbed the polysul de. This eliminated the polysul de shuttle e ect causing the leakage problem and lithium metal corrosion, and also increased the batteries’ energy density. Charging forward with Li–S batteries The adaptive optics two-photon endomicroscopy system developed by Prof. Nancy Ip and Prof. Qu Jianan (both pictured center). Prof. Zhao Tianshou and his research team: their novel cathode design enhances next-generation Li–S battery performance. resolution, which will greatly accelerate our progress in understanding the mechanisms of many neurodegenerative diseases and in developing related treatments.” Using the new technology, the researchers investigated neuronal plasticity in the hippocampus, a critical deep brain structure with a major role in memory and learning. As a result, they were able to reveal the relationship between somatic and dendritic activity of pyramidal neurons within the hippocampus. The ndings have been published in Science Advances.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=