A Carbon Aerogel Lightweight Al Battery for Fast Storage of Fluctuating Energy

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2023-09, Vol.35 (35), p.e2303943-n/a
• Main Authors: Lv, Aijing, Wang, Mingyong, Shi, Haotian, Lu, Songle, Zhang, Jintao, Jiao, Shuqiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerogels; aluminum batteries; Carbon; carbon aerogels; Cathodes; Current density; Energy; Energy storage; fast charging; fluctuating currents; Functional groups; Graphite; Lightweight; Materials science; Renewable energy; renewable energy storage; Renewable resources
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202303943

Al batteries have great potential for renewable energy storage owing to their low cost, high capacity, and safety. High energy density and adaptability to fluctuating electricity are major challenges. Here, a lightweight Al battery for fast storage of fluctuating energy is constructed based on a novel hierarchical porous dendrite‐free carbon aerogel film (CAF) anode and an integrated graphite composite carbon aerogel film (GCAF) cathode. A new induced mechanism by the O‐containing functional groups on the CAF anode is con‐firmed for uniform Al deposition. The GCAF cathode possesses a higher mass utilization ratio due to the extremely high loading mass (9.5–10.0 mg cm−2) of graphite materials compared to conventional coated cathodes. Meanwhile, the volume expansion of the GCAF cathode is almost negligible, resulting in better cycling stability. The lightweight CAF‖GCAF full battery can adapt well to large and fluctuating current densities owing to its hierarchical porous structure. A large discharge capacity (115.6 mAh g−1) after 2000 cycles and a short charge time (7.0 min) at a high current density are obtained. The construction strategy of lightweight Al batteries based on carbon aerogel electrodes can promote the breakthrough of high‐energy‐density Al batteries adapted to the fast storage of fluctuating renewable energy. A novel lightweight Al battery is constructed using a dendrite‐free carbon aerogel film (CAF) anode and a high‐loading integrated graphite composite carbon aerogel film (GCAF) cathode. O‐containing functional groups on the CAF induce Al deposition. The zero‐volume expansion of the GCAF results in better stability. A CAF‖GCAF full battery exhibits excellent charge–discharge performance toward fast storage of fluctuating electricity.