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Foam-based graphene keeps oxygen flowing in battery that holds promise for electric vehicles

December 16th, 2011

PNNL and Princeton University scientists used electron microscopy at EMSL to study graphene structures built around bubbles to produce a lithium-air battery with the highest energy capacity to date. This black, porous graphene, a special form of carbon, could replace the traditional smooth graphene sheets in lithium-air batteries, which become clogged with tiny particles during use. The bubble material does not rely on platinum or other precious metals, reducing its potential cost and environmental impact. Lithium-air batteries could allow for the creation of long-range electric vehicles, able to travel up to 300 miles between charges. Comparatively lightweight, lithium-air batteries still suffer from limited practical capacity and poor cycle life issues; however, this study showed how to maximize the capacity of the batteries. The study's graphene structures were featured on the cover of the Nov. 21, 2011, C&EN, Chemical & Engineering News.

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More information:
J Xiao, et al. 2011. “Hierarchically Porous Graphene as a Lithium-Air Battery Electrode.” Nano Letters. DOI: 10.1021/nl203332e

Provided by Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Citation: Foam-based graphene keeps oxygen flowing in battery that holds promise for electric vehicles (2011, December 16) retrieved 13 October 2025 from https://sciencex.com/wire-news/85484182/foam-based-graphene-keeps-oxygen-flowing-in-battery-that-holds-p.html

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