Lithium Sulfur Battery Conservation Research

• Samuel Auerbach, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware

• Bingqing Wei, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware

Lithium ion batteries are the current choice of battery for countless applications, but they have comparatively short lifetimes and low energy density storage capacity. It is because of these flaws, that lithium sulfur batteries have become a prevalent alternative to the conventional lithium ion battery. Lithium sulfur batteries are more efficient at energy density storage, have a longer lifetime, and are less toxic for the environment. Much experimentation has been done on the feasibility of Lithium Sulfur batteries. In these experiments, it became evident that the polysulfides tend to migrate away from the cathode. The lack of sulfur left on these cathodes would ultimately lead to a decrease in energy storage and life expectancy. To combat this migration, an additive (barium titanate oxide) was added to the battery to attempt to trap the polysulfides. Last semester, Professor Wei and his subordinates determined the appropriate diameter of this additive (50 nm). This semester, we have worked to determine a proper concentration of the additive at said diameter. To do this, three different concentrations were tested. Impedance spectroscopy was ran on each concentration sample to determine which had the lowest resistance. Through this experiment, a proper model for the size and weight percentages for barium titanate oxide have been actualized. Thus giving a path forward towards making Lithium Sulfur batteries feasible and useable.