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Summary Reader Response Draft 1

This article “The Future”, Lockett (2022) introduces a new discovery of lithium-sulphur batteries and how it will shape the future. Currently the battery tech of choice has always been lithium-ion batteries, however they have some downsides to using it.

The materials that are needed to build lithium-ion batteries are lithium, graphite, cobalt and manganese. However raw material like cobalt is environmentally damaging as they leach out toxic chemical when mining it. There is also the life cycle problem where the lithium-ion battery will lose its power storage capacity if it is repeatedly being charge them, and the battery would have to be thrown away and contributed to electronic waste which is becoming a problem for the world to deal with.

The discovery of lithium-sulphur has shown the potential to replace the current battery choice as it is cheap and environmentally friendly compared to lithium-ion. Furthermore, it is more energy dense and lightweight. However, the drawback of lithium-sulphur is that they suffer from short lifespan.

Mining for materials use to make lithium-sulphur is cheap and environmentally friendly is since Earth has abundant resources of lithium and sulphur therefore that we can minimise the mining’s ecological impact as well as ensure a stronger supply chain (Lockett, 2022). Sulphur is also a cheap raw material as a by-product of the oil industry, and their costs per unit of power can offer substantial savings (Merrifield, 2020) in terms of their theoretical value compared to cobalt, one of the common elements in lithium-ion battery.

Another benefits to using lithium-sulphur battery is their high energy density due to the composition of sulphur. The specific energy density of lithium-ion is between 260 – 270 wh/kg (Dragonfly Energy, 2022), while the theoretical value of lithium sulphur is 10 times that of lithium-ion, estimated 2500 wh/kg. The higher the energy density, the longer the battery can emit a charge in relation to its size, hence it is able to store a higher amount of energy which allows the appliance to last for a longer period.

Despite the benefits of lithium-sulphur, the short lifespan of sulphur is hindering it from becoming available to mass produce. The short life cycle is due to its chemistry as charging the battery causes a build-up of chemical deposits called polysulfides that will degrade the cell hence reduces the amount of time the battery can be recharge repeatedly. However, scientists have been trying to figure out ways to experiment on this chemical reaction in order to reduce the build up of chemical deposits. According to William (2022), the scientist at Drexel University found a chemical reaction of sulphur that stops this cell degradation called monoclinic gamma-phase sulphur, which means that the battery can charge for at least 4000 charge cycle without a drop in capacity.

The scientists are still trying to decipher the phenomenon behind this phase of sulphur that is created or how to ensure it stays that way. So further research is needed in order to develop a reliable battery that can be used in billions of computers, electric cars, and the like.

In conclusion, I believe that the use of lithium-sulphur batteries could change human lives as it allows a huge range of activities to go electric, allowing the emission of carbon dioxide to be much lesser there are more benefits to using lithium-sulphur battery compared to lithium-ion battery, in terms of its eco-friendliness, high energy capacity while being cost efficient.

 

Park, J. W., Jo, S. C., Kim, M. J., Choi, I. H., Kim, B. G., Lee, Y. J., Choi, H. Y., Kang, S., Kim, TY., Baeg, K. J.,(2021, April 2) Flexible high-energy-density lithium-sulphur batteries using nanocarbon-embedded fibrous sulphur cathodes and membrane separators https://www.nature.com/articles/s41427-021-00295-y

 

Marrifield, R (2020, June 5) Cheaper, lighter and more energy-dense: The promise of lithium-sulphur batteries https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/cheaper-lighter-and-more-energy-dense-promise-lithium-sulphur-batteries

 

Lockett, W (2022, April 17). The Future https://bigthink.com/the-future/lithium-sulfurbatteries/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fs=e&s=cl&fbclid=IwAR1JQVrPK4Nt6YauDpwVZrmkeHE1jR0zfHdUdqe1wC5xr4XEabacCNVJLE#Echobox=1658939001-1


Dragonfly Energy (2022, December 14) https://dragonflyenergy.com/why-does-energy-density-matter-in-batteries/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20lithium-ion%20batteries,50-100%20wh%2Fkg.


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