Alloy Anodes for Rechargeable Calcium Ion Batteries

Rechargeable multivalent ion batteries represent an exciting new category of energy storage devices poised to achieve the high energy density and capacities necessary for extended-range electric vehicles and large-scale grid energy storage. Calcium ion batteries (CIB) are of key interest owing to their high theoretical energy density, natural abundance, and low cost. However, the development of reversible CIB has been hindered by challenges of calcium ion’s slow diffusion kinetics and the reactivity of metallic calcium towards conventional liquid electrolytes. To unlock calcium’s potential to provide high voltage and capacity, circumventing the rapid passivation of the calcium metal anode is necessary. One path forward lies in the discovery and design of new types of electrode materials that can reversibly intercalate or alloy high amounts of calcium. These materials must sidestep the irreversible loss in capacity that accompanies significant volumetric expansion such as has been observed with silicon. Additionally, fundamental studies are needed to characterize these new materials and to better understand and optimize their performance in conventional liquid electrolytes at room temperature. Despite this, little is known about the electrochemical alloying process of In with Ca. This presentation will focus on the development and characterization of an indium alloy anode suitable for a calcium-ion system for possible application in next-generation alloy anode materials.