Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• This review provides a comprehensive overview of current research progress on metal–CO2 batteries across a broad temperature range, from room temperature to low/high temperatures. • It thoroughly discusses the challenges encountered by M-CO2 batteries under extreme low- and high-temperature conditions, along with strategies to address these challenges. • The potential application scenarios and future directions of M-CO2 batteries across a broad temperature range are highlighted. • The review emphasizes the need for further research to extend operational temperature ranges and improve electrochemical performance for practical applications.
Abstract
The metal–carbon dioxide batteries, emerging as high-energy–density energy storage devices, enable direct CO2 utilization, offering promising prospects for CO2 capture and utilization, energy conversion, and storage. However, the electrochemical performance of M-CO2 batteries faces significant challenges, particularly at extreme temperatures. Issues such as high overpotential, poor charge reversibility, and cycling capacity decay arise from complex reaction interfaces, sluggish oxidation kinetics, inefficient catalysts, dendrite growth, and unstable electrolytes. Despite significant advancements at room temperature, limited research has focused on the performance of M-CO2 batteries across a wide-temperature range. This review examines the effects of low and high temperatures on M-CO2 battery components and their reaction mechanism, as well as the advancements made in extending operational ranges from room temperature to extremely low and high temperatures. It discusses strategies to enhance electrochemical performance at extreme temperatures and outlines opportunities, challenges, and future directions for the development of M-CO2 batteries.
1. Introduction
In recent years, the excessive consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels has raised global concerns regarding energy shortages, while a series of ecological and environmental issues resulting from excess CO2 emissions have also posed significant threats to human survival [1–4]. There is an urgent need to vigorously advance CO2-related technologies to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions. The metal–carbon dioxide (M-CO2, M = Li, Na, K, Al, Mg, Zn, etc.) battery, as an emerging energy storage device, enables direct utilization of CO2 to mitigate its accumulation, rendering it a crucial component within the renewable energy network by virtue of its high-energy density [5–7]. For example, the energy density of the non-aqueous Li/Na-CO2 batteries can reach 1876 and 1136 Wh kg−1 based on the reversible reactions of 4Li/Na + 3CO2 ↔ 2Li2CO3/Na2CO3 + C [8–11]. In contrast, aqueous Zn/Al-CO2 batteries show a slightly lower energy density but can produce valuable carbon-containing chemicals such as CO, CH4, and C2H4 [12–14]. Therefore, M-CO2 batteries hold promising prospects for application in CO2 capture and utilization, energy conversion, and storage. The unique advantages of M-CO2 batteries will be particularly evident in high-concentration CO2 scenarios in the future, such as seabed exploration and undersea resource exploration [15–17].
The electrochemical performance of M-CO2 batteries at room temperature (RT) has been the focus of extensive research efforts, resulting in significant advancements [18–22]. However, several formidable challenges still need to be addressed, including high overpotential during the discharge (CO2 reduction reaction, CRR)/charge (CO2 evolution reaction, CER) process, poor charge reversibility, and cycling capacity decay [23–25]. The reasons for these problems are multifaceted (Fig. 1): (i) the complex gas–liquid–solid multiphase reaction interface; (ii) the sluggish oxidation kinetics of carbonate products in non-protonic systems, coupled with the limited selectivity of reduction products in aqueous systems; (iii) the lack of efficient and stable cathode bifunctional catalysts; (iv) the growth of metal dendrites and the tendency of metal to be slowly corroded during the reaction process; (v) the lack of sufficiently stable electrolyte. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the potential future applications of M-CO2 batteries necessitate their ability to maintain optimal operational performance even in extreme temperature environments.
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Xuejing Zhang, Ning Zhao, Hanqi Zhang, Yiming Fan, Feng Jin, Chunsheng Li, Yan Sun, Jiaqi Wang, Ming Chen, Xiaofei Hu (2024). Recent Advances in Wide-Range Temperature Metal-CO2 Batteries: A Mini Review. Nano-Micro Letters. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01607-x
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are metal-CO2 batteries?
Metal-CO2 batteries are emerging energy storage devices that directly utilize CO2, offering high energy density and promising prospects for CO2 capture and utilization, energy conversion, and storage.
What challenges do metal-CO2 batteries face at extreme temperatures?
At extreme temperatures, metal-CO2 batteries face issues such as high overpotential, poor charge reversibility, cycling capacity decay, complex reaction interfaces, sluggish oxidation kinetics, inefficient catalysts, dendrite growth, and unstable electrolytes.
What is the scope of this mini review?
This mini review examines the effects of low and high temperatures on metal-CO2 battery components and reaction mechanisms, discusses strategies to enhance performance at extreme temperatures, and outlines future directions.
What are the key strategies to improve metal-CO2 battery performance at extreme temperatures?
The review discusses strategies such as developing efficient catalysts, stabilizing electrolytes, optimizing interfaces, and addressing dendrite growth to enhance electrochemical performance at extreme temperatures.
What are the potential applications of metal-CO2 batteries?
Potential applications include CO2 capture and utilization, energy conversion and storage, and use in high-concentration CO2 scenarios such as seabed and undersea exploration.
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