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Room‐Temperature Liquid Na–K Anode Membranes
Author(s) -
Xue Leigang,
Zhou Weidong,
Xin Sen,
Gao Hongcai,
Li Yutao,
Zhou Aijun,
Goodenough John B.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201809622
Subject(s) - electrolyte , anode , alloy , alkali metal , materials science , chemical engineering , membrane , propylene carbonate , stripping (fiber) , ionic liquid , porosity , liquid metal , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , metallurgy , electrode , composite material , organic chemistry , biochemistry , engineering , catalysis
The Na–K alloy is a liquid at 25 °C over a large compositional range. The liquid alloy is also immiscible in the organic‐liquid electrolytes of an alkali‐ion rechargeable battery, providing dendrite‐free liquid alkali‐metal batteries with a liquid–liquid anode‐electrolyte interface at room temperature. The two liquids are each immobilized in a porous matrix. In previous work, the porous matrix used to immobilize the alloy was a carbon paper that is wet by the alloy at 420 °C; the alloy remains in the paper at room temperature. Here we report a room‐temperature vacuum infiltration of the alloy into a porous Cu or Al membrane and a reversible stripping/plating of the liquid alloy with the immobilized organic‐liquid electrolyte; no self‐diacharge is observed since the liquid Na–K does not dissolve into the liquid carbonate electrolytes. The preparation and stripping/plating of the liquid alkali‐metal anode can both now be done safely at room temperature.