克萊姆森大學和佐治亞理工學院的研究人員之間的合作為鋰離子電池電極帶來了新的黏合劑材料，被稱為海藻酸鹽。此種材料是從快速生長的褐藻中提取的，可以提高電池電量儲存，同時消除現今用於製造化合物的有毒物質。
文章翻譯自：http://www.robaid.com/bionics/polymer-extracted-from-seaweed-may-improve-battery-performance.htm
褐藻
褐藻富有核酸鹽，是世界上成長速度最快的植物之一。此種植物不但被製成食用海藻，也成為醫療上的用途。實驗團隊發現，核酸鹽不但可以提升電池的性能，這種材料的傳輸速度相對於傳統材料更快，而且也更加便宜安全。
提取核酸鹽的方法主要是通過簡單的基於碳酸鈉（Na2CO3）實現，同時生成均勻分佈的羧基材料。而後陽極則可以通過使用水基漿料懸浮矽或石墨奈米顆粒等對環境友好的方法來生產。該材料得以解決使用高能矽陽極最困難的限制問題。
矽基陽極在理論上提供了比石墨陽極高十倍的容量改進，但迄今為止所開發的陽極不足夠實用。由於矽電池的體積在電池運行期間發生變化，因此可能形成裂紋，並允許額外的電解質分解，直到離子流阻塞細孔導致電池故障。海藻酸鹽能夠將矽奈米顆粒彼此結合併與陽極的金屬箔結合，並且還可以防止由於材料能夠自身塗覆矽奈米顆粒而導致的降解，並為界面提供強大的支撐。
在迄今為止的測試中，研究人員已經證明，與當今最好的石墨電極相比，藻酸鹽可以產生可逆容量的八倍的電池陽極。 陽極還表現出接近100％的庫侖效率，並且已經通過超過1,000次充放電循環運行而沒有故障。
主要研究人員
圖片來源：http://www.robaid.com/bionics/polymer-extracted-from-seaweed-may-improve-battery-performance.htm
引用原文：
Collaboration between researchers at the Clemson University and the Georgia Institute of Technology resulted with a promising new binder material for lithium-ion battery electrodes. Known as alginate, the material is extracted from common, fast-growing brown algae, and it could boost energy storage, while eliminating the use of toxic compounds now used to manufacture the components.
“Brown algae is rich in alginates and is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet”, said Igor Luzinov, a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Clemson University. “This is a case in which we found all of the necessary attributes in one place: a material that not only will improve battery performance, but also is relatively fast and inexpensive to produce and is considerably safer than some of the materials that are being used now.”
Its extraction from seaweed is achieved through a simple soda-based (Na2CO3) process that generates a material with uniformly distributed carboxylic groups. The anodes then can be produced through an environmentally friendly process that uses a water-based slurry to suspend the silicon or graphite nanoparticles. The material may solve one of the most difficult problems limiting the use of high-energy silicon anodes.
Silicon-based anodes theoretically offer up to a tenfold capacity improvement over graphite anodes, but the ones developed thus far haven’t been stable enough for practical use. Since the volume of silicon nanoparticles changes during operation of the battery, cracks can form and allow additional electrolyte decomposition until the pores that allow ion flow become clogged, causing battery failure. Alginate is capable to bind silicon nanoparticles to each other and to the metal foil of the anode, and it also prevents degradation by since the material is capable to coat the silicon nanoparticles themselves and provide a strong support for the interface.
In tests so far, the researchers have demonstrated that the alginate can produce battery anodes with reversible capacity eight times greater compared to today’s best graphite electrodes. The anode also demonstrates a coulombic efficiency approaching 100 percent and has been operated through more than 1,000 charge-discharge cycles without failure.
“Making less-expensive batteries that can store more energy and last longer with the help of alginate could provide a large and long-lasting impact on the community”, said Gleb Yushin, an assistant professor at Georgia Institute of Technology School of Materials Science and Engineering. “These batteries could contribute to building a more energy-efficient economy with extended-range electric cars, as well as cell phones and notebook computers that run longer on battery power – all with environmentally friendly manufacturing technologies.”
According to researchers, the new alginate electrodes are compatible with existing production techniques and can be integrated into existing battery designs. In future, the researchers plan to explore other alginates, boost performance of their electrodes and understand how the material works.