A lithium–air capacitor–battery based on a hybrid electrolyte

Abstract

A hybrid electrolyte lithium–air battery, in which a lithium-anode in a non-aqueous electrolyte and an air catalytic cathode in an aqueous electrolyte solution were separated by a ceramic LISICON film, has been investigated in our previous work. In the present work, a capacitor electrode was put in the non-aqueous electrolyte solution as an additional cathode in parallel with the air catalytic cathode. The proposed lithium–air batteries with an additional capacitor cathode can successfully unite capacitor character and lithium–air battery character in one device which is now nominated as a “lithium–air capacitor–battery based on a hybrid electrolyte”. When high power is needed, the capacitor cathode would play the main role of peak power output; when high energy is demanded, the air catalytic cathode would display its high energy character. The adjustability of power output and energy output demonstrate that the proposed lithium–air capacitor–battery should be a promising power system for future electric vehicles.