The researchers used corn protein as a protective cover for a separator placed in the middle of the battery.
Corn may not be as humble as we once thought.Long seen as a basic staple of meals and rural agriculture, corn is now showing surprising potential in cutting-edge technology. Researchers at Washington State University have found a way to use Corn protein to improve the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries .
This breakthrough could help expand the use of these high-energy, lightweight batteries in electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and other applications.Lithium-sulfur batteries are both lighter and more sustainable than the widely used lithium-ion batteries. However, their commercial use has no far been limited due to challenges with their lifespan.The corn protein, it turns out, may help overcome some of those barriers.Corn’s hidden powerThe researchers discovered that a protective barrier, made from corn protein combined with a commonly used plastic, significantly improved the performance of button-sized lithium-sulfur batteries. This corn-based separator helped the battery retain its charge over 500 cycles, a marked improvement over batteries lacking the barrier.“This work demonstrated a simple and efficient approach to preparing a functional separator for enhancing the battery’s performance,” Katie Zhong, a corresponding author on the paper, said in a release.Lithium-sulfur batteries are considered a better alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their small size, light weight, and ability to contain much more energy. Moreover, these batteries use sulfur for its cathode, which is not only cheap and non-toxic but also available in abundance.On the other hand, the cathode of a lithium-ion battery is made of metal oxides and includes toxic heavy metals like cobalt or nickel.However, lithium-sulfur batteries come with their own set of limitations. One major issue, known as the shuttle effect, occurs when the sulfur portion of the battery leaks into the liquid and migrates to the lithium side, causing the battery to fail quickly.Additionally, the lithium side of the battery often develops spikes of lithium metal, called dendrites, which can lead to electric short circuits.To address these challenges, the researchers used corn protein as a protective cover for a separator placed in the middle of the battery. “Corn protein would make for a good battery material because it’s abundant, natural, and sustainable,” Jin Liu, and a corresponding author on the paper, said. A natural fix for battery lifespanThe building blocks of the protein are amino acids, which react with the battery materials to enhance the movement of lithium ions and help inhibit the shuttle effect. Since protein naturally folds upon itself, the researchers added a small amount of flexible plastic to flatten it, further improving its performance and stability within the battery. “The first thing we need to think about is how to open the protein, so we can use those interactions and manipulate the protein,” said Liu.The researchers have conducted both numerical studies and experiments to validate the battery’s success. They are now focusing on further research to understand how the process works, which specific amino acid interactions are responsible, and how the protein structure can be optimized for even greater performance.“A protein is a very complicated structure,” said Zhong. “We need to do further simulation studies to identify which amino acids in the protein structure can work best for solving the critical shuttle effect and dendrite problems.”The researchers are not eyeing to collaborate with industry partners to study larger experimental batteries and to scale up the process.The research, led by graduate students Ying Guo, Pedaballi Sireesha, and Chenxu Wang from WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, has been published in the Journal of Power Sources.
Battery Performance Corn Protein Dendrites Electric Vehicles Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Renewable Energy Shuttle Effect Sustainable Materials Washington State University
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