石墨烯与电池

电池技术正在迅速发展，数十种替代化学物质正在挑战锂离子电池的主导地位

Graphene is a promising material for use in batteries due to its high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. A recent discovery by researchers at Swansea University, in collaboration with Wuhan University of Technology and Shenzhen University, could pave the way for the use of graphene in lithium-ion batteries, helping to keep them as the dominant battery technology over alternative chemistries, including graphene-based batteries.

石墨烯由于其高导电性和导热性而成为一种很有前景的电池材料。斯旺西大学研究人员与武汉理工大学和深圳大学合作的一项最新发现，可能为石墨烯在锂离子电池中的使用铺平道路，有助于保持锂离子电池相对于包括石墨烯在内的替代化学物质的主导电池技术的地位。基电池。

The researchers' publication in Nature Chemical Engineering details the first successful protocol for fabricating defect-free graphene foils on a commercial scale. The method can be used to create graphene foils in lengths ranging from meters to kilometers. In a laboratory setting not designed for mass production, they managed to create a 200-meter-long graphene foil with a thickness of 17 micrometers. The foil is also highly resistant and was demonstrated to retain high electrical conductivity even after being bent over 100,000 times, making it suitable for use in flexible electronics, industrial manufacturing, and other applications where the graphene is used to deploy powerful currents.

研究人员在《自然化学工程》上发表的文章详细介绍了第一个在商业规模上成功制造无缺陷石墨烯箔的方案。该方法可用于制造长度从米到公里的石墨烯箔。在不适合大规模生产的实验室环境中，他们成功制造了 200 米长、厚度为 17 微米的石墨烯箔。该箔片还具有高电阻，并且被证明即使在弯曲超过 100,000 次后仍能保持高导电性，使其适用于柔性电子、工业制造以及石墨烯用于部署强大电流的其他应用。

The application that the researchers focused on in their study is the use of the graphene foil as a current collector in lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are vulnerable to a key risk, called thermal runaway, which happens when excessive heat accumulates in a part of the battery, leading to battery failure with dangerous fires or explosions. This issue is one of the key reasons many researchers and battery companies are looking beyond lithium-ion with alternative chemistries like sodium-ion. Many alternative solutions are being explored, for example, gel electrolytes.

研究人员在研究中重点关注的应用是使用石墨烯箔作为锂离子电池的集流体。锂离子电池很容易遭受一种称为热失控的关键风险，当电池的一部分积聚过多热量时就会发生这种情况，从而导致电池故障并引发危险的火灾或爆炸。这个问题是许多研究人员和电池公司将目光投向锂离子以外的替代化学物质（例如钠离子）的关键原因之一。人们正在探索许多替代解决方案，例如凝胶电解质。

Thermal runaway mostly happens at the battery's current collectors, where the most power is concentrated. In current lithium-ion batteries, current collectors are usually made of aluminum or copper. The graphene current collectors developed by the research with their graphene foil can display a thermal conductivity as high as 1,400.8 W m−1 K−1. For reference, this is almost 10x higher than copper and aluminum-based current collectors.

热失控主要发生在电池的集电器处，这里集中了大部分功率。目前的锂离子电池中，集流体通常由铝或铜制成。该研究开发的石墨烯集流体及其石墨烯箔可以表现出高达 1,400.8 W m−1 K−1 的导热率。作为参考，这几乎比铜基和铝基集流体高 10 倍。

Because the graphene foil shows a very fast heat dissipation, it eliminates the risk of local heat concentration when the current is flowing. In turn, this removes the risks of aluminothermic and hydrogen-evolution reactions which are the critical steps leading to propagation of the battery failure and fire hazard.

由于石墨烯箔具有非常快的散热能力，因此消除了电流流动时局部热量集中的风险。反过来，这消除了铝热反应和析氢反应的风险，这些反应是导致电池故障和火灾危险蔓延的关键步骤。

“Our dense, aligned graphene structure provides a robust barrier against the formation of flammable gases and prevents oxygen from permeating the battery cells, which is crucial for avoiding catastrophic failures,”

“我们致密、排列整齐的石墨烯结构提供了强大的屏障，防止可燃气体的形成，并防止氧气渗透电池，这对于避免灾难性故障至关重要。”

Dr Jinlong Yang, co-lead author

杨金龙博士，共同主要作者

Maybe more importantly, the method is already proven to be deployable with mass manufacturing of the graphene foil. So it could be quickly integrated into existing battery manufacturing processes.

也许更重要的是，该方法已经被证明可以用于石墨烯箔的大规模制造。因此它可以快速集成到现有的电池制造工艺中。

“This is a significant step forward for battery technology. Our method allows for the production of graphene current collectors at a scale and quality that can be readily integrated into commercial battery manufacturing. This not only improves battery safety by efficiently managing heat but also enhances energy density and longevity.”

“这是电池技术向前迈出的重要一步。我们的方法允许以可轻松集成到商业电池制造中的规模和质量生产石墨烯集流体。这不仅可以通过有效管理热量来提高电池安全性，还可以提高能量密度和寿命。”

Dr Rui Tan, co-lead author

谭瑞博士，共同主要作者

The researchers are already looking at ways to reduce the thickness of the graphene foils and further enhance their mechanical properties. They are also looking at how the graphene foil could help design better flow batteries and sodium-ion batteries, in collaboration with another research team at Swansea University, under Pr. Serena Margodonna’s leadership.

研究人员已经在寻找减少石墨烯箔厚度并进一步提高其机械性能的方法。他们还在与斯旺西大学的另一个研究团队合作，研究石墨烯箔如何帮助设计更好的液流电池和钠离子电池。瑟琳娜·玛戈多娜的领导。

We previously discussed honeycomb lithium-ion batteries that remove the risk of battery failure from dendrite growth. If thermal runaway also can be suppressed thanks to graphene foil, this could make lithium-ion batteries much more safe and durable than the current version.

我们之前讨论过蜂窝状锂离子电池，它可以消除因枝晶生长而导致电池故障的风险。如果石墨烯箔也能抑制热失控，这将使锂离子电池比当前版本更加安全和耐用。

This overall follows the pattern of most innovations in one niche of battery technology to be usable in other designs, helping feed the quick progress of the industry.

总体而言，这遵循了电池技术某一领域的大多数创新模式，可用于其他设计，有助于推动行业的快速进步。

(You can also learn more about battery technology in our articles “The Future of Mobility – Battery Tech” and “The Future Of Energy Storage – Utility-Scale Batteries Tech”.)

（您还可以在我们的文章“移动的未来 - 电池技术”和“能源存储的未来 - 公用事业规模电池技术”中了解有关电池技术的更多信息。）