Using an AlCl3/Urea Ionic Liquid Analog Electrolyte for Improving the Lifetime of Aluminum-Sulfur Batteries

Aluminum-sulfur (Al-S) chemistry is attractive for the development of next-generation rechargeable battery systems. However, only a few reversible Al-S cells have been reported until now. This paper demonstrates that the use of an AlCl3/urea electrolyte in Al-S cells is a promising approach to improve the cycle life and reach a high discharge voltage plateau of similar to 1.6-2.0 V. In contrast to the instability of sulfur in the conventional AlCl3/EMIC electrolyte, sulfur is chemically stable in the AlCl3/urea electrolyte, which allows better cell cycling stability. The Al-S cell delivers an initial capacity of similar to 700 mAh g(s)(-1) and maintains a capacity of up to similar to 500 mAh g(s)(-1) after 100 cycles.