Electrochemical performance and application prospect analysis of Li||Sb-Bi-Sn liquid metal batteries

Li||Sb-Bi-Sn liquid metal batteries (LMBs) exhibit excellent cycle stability due to the self-healing action of Sb-Bi-Sn cathode, but there are still many electrochemical conditions to be considered and determined before practical applications. Herein, the effects of different operating temperatures and charge–discharge regimes on cell performance have been investigated systematically. 500 °C is preferred as the optimal operating temperature of Li|LiF-LiCl-LiBr|Sb45Bi45Sn10 LMBs, and the batteries exhibit excellent rate capability and anti-pulse interference ability. Meanwhile, the energy density of the batteries is calculated to be 265 Wh kg−1, and the electrode costs are only 58.62 $ kWh−1. We propose that this work can pave a new direction toward assessing high-performance LMBs for practical applications.