Inorganic Battery Materials

Li‐CO₂ Batteries

Zhaojun Xie and Zhen Zhou

Nankai University, Tianjin, China

1. 1 Introduction
2. 2 Reaction Mechanism
3. 3 Influence Factors of L–CO₂ Batteries
4. 4 Cathode Materials
5. 5 Conclusion
6. 6 Abbreviations and Acronyms
7. 7 References

1 Introduction

Nowadays, CO₂ is receiving much attention because it is one of the leading greenhouse gases, especially due to its steadily increasing concentration in the atmosphere. Balancing the release of CO₂ into the environment with the increasing world energy demand is one of the most defining challenges, for billions of tons of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum products) are consumed each year. A lot of research has been expended to solve this issue, and some developments have been achieved. Among the widespread studies on the recycling and utilization of CO₂, the exploitation of CO₂ in energy storage devices, such as Li–CO₂ batteries, represents a novel approach and attracts much attention.¹ The system mainly consists of a Li metal anode, a separator, an electrolyte, and an air cathode (Figure 1). Obviously, rechargeable Li–CO₂ batteries can reduce fossil fuel consumption and mitigate the “greenhouse effect” due to the reversible reaction between lithium and CO₂. Besides, they are potential energy sources for scientific exploration and future immigration on other planets, such as Venus and Mars, where more than 95% of the atmosphere is CO₂.

Figure 1 Schematic configuration of Swagelok‐type Li–CO₂ batteries

Many efforts have ...