Challenges of Batteries in the Post Li-Ion Era

Dear Colleagues,

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the most efficient systems for energy conversion and storage available on the market today. At present, they are the solution of choice in portable electronics and automotive applications. Unfortunately, LIBs suffer from several drawbacks such as (i) intrinsic limitations in energy density (today 260 Wh/kg or 680 Wh/L); (ii) high costs of raw materials (i.e., Li and Co) due to their low abundance in the Earth’s crust; and (iii) low safety due to the reactivity and volatility of battery components. In this scenario, an urgent need exists for (i) novel systems employing innovative chemistries; and (ii) advanced lithium batteries. The former includes (i) cheap, abundant, and, preferentially, multivalent metals, such as Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Al³⁺; and (ii) anionic transport media based on F^- and Cl^-. The latter comprises novel concepts, materials, and designs for lithium chemistry, e.g., (i) lithium-air; (ii) lithium-sulfur; (iii) silicon or lithium metal anode; (iv) high-voltage cathodes; and (v) all solid-state batteries. This Special Issue of Batteries will cover all the above topics, and also fundamental and applied aspects of polymeric and ceramic materials that can be used for the ionic transport of the mentioned ions.

Contributions can include, but will not be limited to the following:

• Silicon or lithium metal anode batteries;
• Lithium-air and lithium-sulfur batteries;
• Ionic transport in post-Li systems (transport of multivalent ions in solids, computational modeling of ion transport, chemical compatibility and interfaces);
• High-voltage cathodes;
• Advanced sodium battery materials (cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes);
• Novel multivalent metal chemistries for electrochemical energy storage (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Al³⁺);
• All solid-state batteries (ceramic and solid polymer electrolytes, interfaces, and nanostructures);
• Power storage devices (novel designs, geometries, and sensors for monitoring the state of charge, the state of health and the state of function of the battery);
• Applications of electrochemical engineering.

Prof. Dr. Vito Di Noto
Guest Editor

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