After a brief excursus on the history of batteries, the development of lithium and lithium-ion batteries will be discussed with particular attention on their initial issues and the various directions followed to properly address them. The presentation will be then focused on the latest directions presently under way promoted by the rising concern on air pollution in large urban areas, as well as on the constantly increasing world’s temperature, which calls with urgency for a wide road distribution of sustainable vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and for a larger use of renewable energy source plants (REPs), which in turn has promoted large worldwide efforts to develop batteries suitable to operate as energy storage systems in REPs, as well as to power the electric engine. Clearly, these functions cannot be properly performed by lithium batteries (LIBs), namely the presently the power sources of choice for popular devices such as laptops, cellular phones and similar.¹ However, the present LIBs, based on intercalation chemistry, are not yet adequate for meeting the REP and EV requirements. In this respect, reduction in cost, as well as enhancement in safety, and particularly in energy density are required and this can only be achieved by totally renewing the battery chemistry, involving all three components, namely anode, cathode and electrolyte. Some approaches to reach  this goal  will be here presented and discussed. In particular it will be shown that, by exploiting adequate electrode nanoconfigurations, considerable progress may be obtained in the LIB technology^2,3  Results in high-energy, lithium batteries, such as lithium-sulfur and, in particular lithium-air batteries^4,5  will be also reported, in particular for discussing the most promising attempts to address the issues that still limit their practical development. The role of solid⁶ and polymeric electrolytes⁷ in enhancing the performance of the lithium batteries is evaluated. Some approaches towards the safe use of Li metal anode are also presented.  Finally, a brief discussion of the role of graphene in the lithium battery field , as well as the rising concern on the lithium world resources, will be included.^8,9

References

1. Scrosati, B., Garche, J. , Journal of Power Sources 195:(2010) 241

2. Jung, H.G. , Hassoun, J., Park, J.-B., Sun, Y.-K. ,  Scrosati, B. , Nature Communications, 2 (2011) 516

3. Hassoun,J., Lee, K.-S, Sun, Y.-K., Scrosati, B., JACS 133 (2011) 3139

4. Jung, H.G. , Hassoun, J., Park, J.-B., Sun, Y.-K. ,  Scrosati, B. , Nature Chemistry,  4(2012) 579

5. Elia, G.A.,.Hassoun,J,,  Kwak, W.-J. , Sun,Y.-K.,  Scrosati, ,F.Mueller, F., .Bresser, D., Passerini, S. ,Oberhumer,P., Tsiouvaras, N.,  Reiter, J. , Nano Letters, 14(2014)6572

6. Agostini, M., Ahiara,Yamada, T.,:Scrosati, B, Hassoun, J. Solid State Ionics, 244 (2013) 48

7. Hassoun, J. ,Scrosati, B., Adv. Materials, 22(2010) 5198 

8. Raccichini, R.,  Varzi, A., Passerini, S. Scrosati, B., Nature Materials, 14 (2015) 271

9. B. Scrosati, Nature, (2011) 473, 448