Recent advances in lithium-air batteries

Lithium (Li)-ion batteries will play a key role in the electrification of transport, including electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). However, the present energy storage of Li-ion batteries cannot meet the requirements of transportation in terms of driving range and safety. As a kind of potential alternative energy storage devices, rechargeable Li-air batteries have become one of the most attractive candidates for energy storage and EVs. Li-air batteries can provide several times higher energy density/specific energy of the existing battery systems. In this paper, we mainly focus on the research status, especially some progresses made in our lab, existing challenges and their solutions as well as perspective on the future directions on lithium-air batteries.