posted on 2020-02-06, 16:04authored byLei Yan, Jianhang Huang, Zhaowei Guo, Xiaoli Dong, Zhuo Wang, Yonggang Wang
Most rechargeable batteries suffer
from severe capacity loss at
low temperature, which limits their applications in cold environments.
Herein, we propose an original proton battery, which involves a MnO2@graphite felt cathode and a MoO3 anode in an acid
electrolyte containing Mn2+. Its operation depends on the
MnO2/Mn2+ conversion in the cathode and H3O+ insertion/extraction in the anode. This battery
exhibits a promising energy density (177.4 Wh kg–1) and a supercapacitor-like power density (66.6 kW kg–1) at room temperature. We demonstrate that the electrolyte shows
high conductivities even after freezing at low temperatures. As a
result, a solid-state proton battery is formed at −70 °C,
which maintains 81.5% of the room temperature capacity and shows an
unprecedented cycle stability (a negligible capacity fading over 100
cycles). Furthermore, even at −78 °C, it can still deliver
sufficient energy to power an electric device.