News Brief
June 09, 2017 
RICHLAND, Wash. - In the quest for longer-lasting lithium rechargeable batteries, some researchers are looking to use sulfur as electrodes. The chemistry of lithium-sulfur, in theory, could allow electric vehicles to go twice as far as conventional batteries. But, in practice, unwanted chemical reactions clog the electrodes quickly, meaning a short lifespan for the batteries as their ability to hold a charge fades.
Now, researchers have gotten the best look yet at what's going on when a lithium-sulfur battery is charging and discharging. 1st they had to adapt a lab instrument to trap the products of the unwanted chemical reactions. But then the team saw how the components of the batteries - electrodes and the liquid electrolytes that help create the electric current - interact and form an interfering layer on the electrodes.
Understanding how the layer builds up might help scientists solve the lithium-sulfur fading problem, which could lead to more affordable batteries. "Sulfur is significantly cheaper than current cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries," said researcher Vijay Murugesan of the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab. "So the total cost of a lithium-sulfur battery will be low."
Find out here what the team from PNNL, Texas A&M University, and DOE's Joint Center for Energy Storage Research learned when they combined computational modeling with data from the modified instrument. Some of the work they performed in EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a D.O.E. Office of Science user facility located at PNNL.
Tags: Energy, Fundamental Science, EMSL, Batteries, Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Materials
EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab, is a D.O.E. Office of Science User Facility. Located at Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Wash., EMSL offers an open, collaborative environment for scientific discovery to researchers around the world. Its integrated computational and experimental resources enable researchers to realize important scientific insights and create new technologies. Follow EMSL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
