A team of researchers at Washington State University have found a surprising way to solve one of the biggest obstacles in next-generation battery technology—protein originates from corn.
Their breakthrough in Power Magazine shows that when a protective barrier made of zein is made with commonly used plastics, lithium-sulfur batteries can maintain more than 500 cycles of charge – which can accelerate the adoption of these environmentally friendly power supplies.
“This work proves an easy and effective way to prepare a functional separator to enhance the performance of the battery,” said Katie Zhong, a professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and corresponding author of the paper. “The results are very good.”
Lithium-sulfur batteries have long been considered a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries found in today’s electric vehicles and electronic devices. In theory, they contain more energy while weighing less, meaning that electric cars can be charged in a single, smaller, lighter battery.
Their environmental image is even more impressive. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, the cathode used by lithium-ion batteries is made of metal oxides containing toxic heavy metals such as toxic heavy metals or nickel. Lithium-sulfur batteries use rich, cheap and non-toxic sulfur.
Despite these advantages, the technology faces commercial barriers due to two major issues. The first one is called the “shuttle effect”, where sulfur leaks into the liquid part of the battery and migrates to the lithium side, causing the battery to fail quickly. The second problem involves the growth of spiked lithium metal formations called dendrites, which can lead to dangerous short circuits.
The WSU team’s innovation uses natural materials to solve both problems, which seem to be more natural than batteries in the storage room.
“Zini protein can lead to good battery material because it is rich, natural and sustainable,” explains Jin Liu, a professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and corresponding author in this article.
The researchers used a protein called Zein, which was found in corn as a cover for the separator in the middle of the battery. The amino acids in the protein react with the battery material to improve the movement of lithium ions while inhibiting the shuttle effect.
A key innovation in their approach is the addition of a small amount of flexible plastic to the protein to prevent it from folding itself, which will reduce its effectiveness.
“The first thing we need to think about is how to turn on the proteins, so we can use these interactions and manipulate the proteins,” Liu said.
In the test, the battery equipped with a zein-modified separator showed significantly improved performance. After 500 charging cycles, these batteries maintain 62% of their capacity (about 450 mAh g-1), while the battery with a conventional separator retains only 16% of its capacity (about 150 mAh g-1).
This study has a wide range of implications for renewable energy storage, electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Large-scale storage systems are critical to integrating intermittent renewable energy sources such as Wind and Solar into the power grid, which can especially benefit from the high performance and environmentally friendly combination of this technology.
The team is now conducting further research to understand exactly how the process works at the molecular level, how amino acid interactions are most beneficial, and how to optimize protein structure.
“Protein is a very complex structure,” Zheng pointed out. “We need to conduct further simulation studies to determine which amino acids in the protein structure best solve the key shuttle effects and dendrites.”
Researchers hope to work with industry partners to expand the process and test larger experimental batteries. Their work, funded by the USDA, represents the intersection of innovations in food science and energy technology, can help advance sustainable power systems without relying on scarce or toxic materials.
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