Alginate as an Electrode Stabilizer for Mg and Transition metal ion Batteries

Abstract

Fossil-fuel energy is finite and its associated negative environmental impact is fuelling efforts to provide alternative energy sources that are affordable, sustainable and efficient. This energy transition from the dominant fossil fuels to energy sources that have a lower carbon footprint is seen as an urgent call to adopt green and renewable energies. Renewable energy has long been poised as a strong alternative because of its circularity. However, most of the renewable energy sources are intermittent and require storage so as balance out the supply with the demand.

Electrochemical storage using batteries is the most commonly used storage technique due to its versatile nature in meeting varying energy demands. Batteries can be applied in stand-alone systems for large scale storage or in smaller distributed systems with wide spectrum of applications ranging from small portable devices such as mobile phones to EVs. The question now becomes whether the materials used for battery storage meet the threshold for circularity. The most advanced battery systems are based on Li-ion (LiBs) and still Lead-acid (LABs), with Na-ion (NiBs) beginning to gain some ground. Lead is considered toxic to both humans and the environment which has led to the push away from LABs. LiBs have gained popularity due to their high energy density, however, safety concerns and high material costs raise questions about their sustainability. NiBs present a lower cost option compared to the LiBs with acceptable performance. The consensus is that existing battery systems are not capable of meeting future energy storage demands and concerted efforts are underway to explore new battery chemistries that are sustainable, safe and affordable. Some of chemistries that have shown some promise are Zinc-ion and Mg-ion. In this work we focus on multivalent battery systems with a focus on Mg –ion batteries…