A super-long life rechargeable aluminum battery

High energy and power density rechargeable batteries with low cost, long cycle life and high safety remain a great demand of portable electronics and grid storage systems. Recently, rechargeable aluminum batteries (RABs) have attracted much attention owing to its high volumetric capacity (8046 mAh cm(-3)), low cost and ultra-safety. However, harsh reaction conditions and complicated processes are usually used in preparation of electrode materials, hindering the practical application. Herein, a commercial ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) as a cathode for RABs is proposed, which shows a super-long life of > 36,000 charge/discharge cycles with a high coulombic efficiency of > 97% and excellent rate performance up to 3000 mA g(-1). Moreover, The Al/CMK-3 battery has a high energy density of 45 Wh kg(-1). Last, the structure changes and (de)intercalation of chloroaluminate anions into the mesopores of CMK-3 during the charge/discharge process were checked by ex situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman and X-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS). Commercially availability and affordable cost of the cathode material make Al/CMK-3 battery more promising for wearable and portable appliances.