dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaA Rechargeable Chromium Battery
| Authors | Apurva Anjan, Adwitiya Rao, Rohit M. Manoj, Vrindha Pongalat, Varad Mahajani, Sohail Shah, Mukesh Bacchav, Chandra Veer Singh, Nikhil Koratkar |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | 2601.06583vv1 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06583 |
| License | http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/ |
Abstract
Multivalent ions exchange multiple electrons during redox reactions, leading to the possibility of improved energy storage performance. A variety of multivalent ions, including zinc (Zn$^{2+}$), magnesium (Mg$^{2+}$), calcium (Ca$^{2+}$), aluminum (Al$^{3+}$), and indium (In$^{3+}$), have been deployed in rechargeable batteries with varying degrees of success \cite{1-9}. While chromium (Cr$^{3+}$) offers a superior volumetric capacity (approximately $11117\ \mathrm{mAh\ cm^{-3}}$) compared to the aforementioned cations, there is no report of a rechargeable chromium battery. This is because chromium metal spontaneously oxidizes to form a passivating oxide layer \cite{10} that blocks Cr$^{3+}$ ingress and egress. Here, we show that this fundamental limitation can be overcome by developing a chromium-rich high-entropy alloy. The alloy consists of five elements (Cr, bismuth (Bi), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), and nickel (Ni)), producing a multi-element native oxide rich in heterointerfaces. Some of these interfaces (such as Cr$_2$O$_3$/Bi$_2$O$_3$) exhibit a very low barrier for Cr$^{3+}$ diffusion, offering multiple pathways for efficient Cr$^{3+}$ insertion and extraction, while others (such as Cr$_2$O$_3$/CuO) block oxygen transport, thereby suppressing further oxidation. In a symmetric cell configuration, the chromium alloy supports approximately $10000$ hours (about $5000$ cycles) of reversible chromium insertion and extraction at an overpotential of only $20$ mV. The chromium-rich alloy anode was also successfully paired with a sulfur cathode to cycle reversibly in a full-cell configuration. These findings could stimulate fundamental studies on chromium-ion batteries and high-entropy alloy electrodes, opening new pathways for multivalent energy storage.
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"abstract": "Multivalent ions exchange multiple electrons during redox reactions, leading to the possibility of improved energy storage performance. A variety of multivalent ions, including zinc (Zn$^{2+}$), magnesium (Mg$^{2+}$), calcium (Ca$^{2+}$), aluminum (Al$^{3+}$), and indium (In$^{3+}$), have been deployed in rechargeable batteries with varying degrees of success \\cite{1-9}. While chromium (Cr$^{3+}$) offers a superior volumetric capacity (approximately $11117\\ \\mathrm{mAh\\ cm^{-3}}$) compared to the aforementioned cations, there is no report of a rechargeable chromium battery. This is because chromium metal spontaneously oxidizes to form a passivating oxide layer \\cite{10} that blocks Cr$^{3+}$ ingress and egress. Here, we show that this fundamental limitation can be overcome by developing a chromium-rich high-entropy alloy. The alloy consists of five elements (Cr, bismuth (Bi), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), and nickel (Ni)), producing a multi-element native oxide rich in heterointerfaces. Some of these interfaces (such as Cr$_2$O$_3$/Bi$_2$O$_3$) exhibit a very low barrier for Cr$^{3+}$ diffusion, offering multiple pathways for efficient Cr$^{3+}$ insertion and extraction, while others (such as Cr$_2$O$_3$/CuO) block oxygen transport, thereby suppressing further oxidation. In a symmetric cell configuration, the chromium alloy supports approximately $10000$ hours (about $5000$ cycles) of reversible chromium insertion and extraction at an overpotential of only $20$ mV. The chromium-rich alloy anode was also successfully paired with a sulfur cathode to cycle reversibly in a full-cell configuration. These findings could stimulate fundamental studies on chromium-ion batteries and high-entropy alloy electrodes, opening new pathways for multivalent energy storage.",
"arxiv_id": "2601.06583",
"authors": [
"Apurva Anjan",
"Adwitiya Rao",
"Rohit M. Manoj",
"Vrindha Pongalat",
"Varad Mahajani",
"Sohail Shah",
"Mukesh Bacchav",
"Chandra Veer Singh",
"Nikhil Koratkar"
],
"categories": [
"cond-mat.mtrl-sci"
],
"license": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
"title": "A Rechargeable Chromium Battery",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06583",
"version": "v1"
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