Dóra Zalka and Pál Jóvári are key authors of the article published in the journal COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS under the title "Improving lithium-sulfur battery performance using a polysaccharide binder derived from red algae".
To enhance the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries, a bioderived polysaccharide, carrageenan extracted from red algae, was succesfully applied as a binder to stabilize the sulfur cathode. Electrochemical investigations demonstrated that electrodes containing 10 wt% carrageenan binder exhibit a capacity retention significantly higher than the results achieved in previous studies. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements confirmed that carrageenan effectively immobilizes shorter-chain lithium polysulfides on the electrode, thereby preventing the degradation of both the electrolyte and electrode during cycling.
Spectroscopic investigations using transmission mode resulted in self-absorption-free XANES spectra at the sulfur edge, which represents a novel and unique achievement in the field of batteries. Another advantage of the carrageenan-based binder is its water solubility, offering a more environmentally friendly and industrially scalable solution for manufacturing sulfur cathodes in lithium-sulfur batteries as compared to the state-of-the-art technologies.
Zalka Dóra, Vizintin Alen, Maximenko Alexey, Pászti Zoltán, Dankházi Zoltán, Hegedüs Kristóf, Shankar Lakshmi Shiva, Kun Róbert, Saksl Karel, Fedorková Andrea Straková, Jóvári Pál
Improving lithium-sulfur battery performance using a polysaccharide binder derived from red algae
COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS 6 : 1 Paper: 17 , 15 p. (2025)
