A Simple Method for Identifying the Thermodynamic Limits to the Specific Energy of Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems

This article outlines a simple method for identifying the thermodynamic limits to electrochemical reversible energy storage systems based on the Nernst equation and previous results obtained from work on reversible chemical hydrogen sorption. The model is successfully validated for five reversible battery chemistries capable of providing specific energies of more than 100 Wh kg^-1 at cell level. The findings of this work substantiate the idea of a general thermodynamic principle limiting reversible chemical energy storage and suggest a change of paradigm towards a global understanding of the matter.