Applying Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for Materials Selection in Li-O₂ Batteries

Li-O₂ batteries are often discussed as solution to overcome the limited range of electrified vehicles. Their theoretical high energy density is promising; however, the technical challenges of parasitic reactions and high charging voltage have led to exploration of a wide range of catalysts, solvents, and cathode structures. The wide variety of materials and different reporting metrics used in Li-O₂ battery research makes it difficult estimate their environmental impact. As the ultimate goal of battery development is to reduce environmental impacts by eliminating fossil fuel consumption, their experimental design should be guided by LCA. This paper will examine a range of commonly used materials for Li-O₂ batteries and determines the variation in their environmental impacts, allowing researchers to pre-select their materials by their sustainability. In addition, five new LCA are performed on experimental Li-O₂ batteries, demonstrating how LCA can be used as a metric to drive experimental research.