The article entitled “Safe and recyclable lithium-ion capacitors using sacrificial organic lithium salt” by Prof. François Béguin (FNP WELCOME laureate) and Dr. Pawel Jezowski from Poznan University of Technology, in collaboration with the research group of Prof. Thierry Brousse (Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel, Nantes, France), just appeared in Nature Materials.
The article refers to a new concept of lithium-ion capacitor (LIC), which is based on the transfer of lithium cations from an organic lithium salt in the positive electrode to the negative electrode where they are intercalated. A prototype of this new LIC has been realized and it shows four times higher energy output than traditional electrical double-layer capacitors. This new LIC incorporates environmentally friendly and easy to recycle materials. Such device can find applications in powering electric and hybrid vehicles, and therefore represents an important breakthrough for green solutions in the development of electromobility.
* Pictured: Prof. François Béguin, FNP WELCOME laureate. Photo by Magdalena Wiśniewska-Krasińska