Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

Xyls
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German researchers develop record-breaking lithium metal cell

https://www.mining.com/german-researche ... etal-cell/
weatheriscool
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Sugar-doped lithium sulfur battery promises up to 5 times the capacity
By Nick Lavars
September 12, 2021
Among the many exciting chemistries being pursued for next-generation batteries, lithium-sulfur is one with significant potential, owing to its ability to store up to five times as much energy as today's lithium-ion solutions. Scientists in Australia have come up with a new design for this promising architecture that involves adding sugar to address inherent stability issues, a move that keeps the experimental cells ticking across more than 1,000 cycles.

The high capacity promised by lithium sulfur batteries is one scientists have been working hard to tap into for mainstream applications, but they've been held back by issues around their stability. As the battery's positive sulfur electrode expands and contracts during charging, it is subject to significant stress and quickly deteriorates. The negative electrode, meanwhile, becomes contaminated by sulfur compounds.

Last year, a team of battery researchers at Monash University in Melbourne came up with a solution to one half of this problem. The scientists developed a special binding agent that creates extra space around the sulfur particles, which means that they have more room to safely expand during charging. The upshot of this was a high-capacity lithium-sulfur battery capable of surviving more than 200 cycles.
https://newatlas.com/energy/sugar-doped ... -capacity/
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Yuli Ban
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A super material applicable to batteries and other energy conversion devices
Unplanned discovery could lead to future pivotal discoveries in batteries, fuel cells, devices for converting heat to electricity and more.
Scientists normally conduct their research by carefully selecting a research problem, devising an appropriate plan to solve it and executing that plan. But unplanned discoveries can happen along the way.
Mercouri Kanatzidis, professor at Northwestern University with a joint appointment in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, was searching for a new superconductor with unconventional behavior when he made an unexpected discovery. It was a material that is only four atoms thick and allows for studying the motion of charged particles in only two dimensions. Such studies could spur the invention of new materials for a variety of energy conversion devices.
Kanatzidis’s target material was a combination of silver, potassium and selenium (α-KAg3Se2) in a four-layered structure like a wedding cake. These 2D materials have length and width, but almost no thickness at only four atoms high.
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
weatheriscool
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A new solid-state battery surprises the researchers who created it
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-09-sol ... ttery.html
by University of California - San Diego
1) The all solid-state battery consists of a cathode composite layer, a sulfide solid electrolyte layer, and a carbon free micro-silicon anode. 2) Before charging, discrete micro-scale Silicon particles make up the energy dense anode. During battery charging, positive Lithium ions move from the cathode to the anode, and a stable 2D interface is formed. 3) As more Lithium ions move into the anode, it reacts with micro-Silicon to form interconnected Lithium-Silicon alloy (Li-Si) particles. The reaction continues to propagate throughout the electrode. 4) The reaction causes expansion and densification of the micro-Silicon particles, forming a dense Li-Si alloy electrode. The mechanical properties of the Li-Si alloy and the solid electrolyte have a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and contact along the 2D interfacial plane. Credit: University of California San Diego

Engineers created a new type of battery that weaves two promising battery sub-fields into a single battery. The battery uses both a solid state electrolyte and an all-silicon anode, making it a silicon all-solid-state battery. The initial rounds of tests show that the new battery is safe, long lasting, and energy dense. It holds promise for a wide range of applications from grid storage to electric vehicles.

The battery technology is described in the 24 September, 2021 issue of the journal Science. University of California San Diego nanoengineers led the research, in collaboration with researchers at LG Energy Solution.

Silicon anodes are famous for their energy density, which is 10 times greater than the graphite anodes most often used in today's commercial lithium ion batteries. On the other hand, silicon anodes are infamous for how they expand and contract as the battery charges and discharges, and for how they degrade with liquid electrolytes. These challenges have kept all-silicon anodes out of commercial lithium ion batteries despite the tantalizing energy density. The new work published in Science provides a promising path forward for all-silicon-anodes, thanks to the right electrolyte.

"With this battery configuration, we are opening a new territory for solid-state batteries using alloy anodes such as silicon," said Darren H. S. Tan, the lead author on the paper. He recently completed his chemical engineering Ph.D. at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and co-founded a startup UNIGRID Battery that has licensed this technology.
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raklian
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Lyten Introduces Next Generation Lithium-Sulfur Battery for Electric Vehicles

Image

Lyten, an advanced materials company, is disrupting the electric vehicle battery industry with the introduction of its LytCell EV™ lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery platform. This latest Silicon Valley battery innovation is optimized specifically for the electric vehicle (EV) market and is designed to deliver three times (3X) the gravimetric energy density of conventional lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Lyten, as it exits from stealth mode today, has worked closely with the U.S. Government for several years to test and improve LytCell™ capabilities in select defense-related applications and is now ready to introduce its battery technology platform to the electric vehicle market.

The Lyten 3D Graphene®-based Li-S architecture has the potential to reach a gravimetric energy density of 900 Wh/kg, which will significantly outperform both conventional lithium-ion and solid state batteries. Lyten Sulfur Caging™ is the technology used in LytCell™ batteries to unlock the performance potential of sulfur by arresting the 'poly-sulfide shuttle,' a cycle-life compromising factor that has up to now prevented practical Li-S use in battery electric vehicles. Under Department of Defense (DoD) test protocols, a LytCell™ prototype design has demonstrated greater than 1,400 cycles.

The Lyten battery platform will offer other advantages to automakers and their end users:

- Below internal combustion engine (ICE) cost parity
- Safe and effective operation in environments as cold as -30 degrees Celsius to as high as 60 degrees Celsius enabling reduced system-level costs
- Flexible and scalable pack sizing, enabling Lyten to accommodate the unique needs of a wide range of automotive platforms
- Can be produced in cylindrical, pouch, and prismatic formats
- On-shore cell manufacturing facilities proximate to OEM's
- Extended range and/or increased payloads
- Faster charge times of less than 20 minutes
- Better for the environment with the lowest carbon footprint of any EV battery
- No conflict minerals

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-release ... 83071.html
To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
weatheriscool
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New catalyst helps combine fuel cell, battery into one device
https://phys.org/news/2021-10-catalyst- ... ttery.html
by Brandie Jefferson, Washington University in St. Louis

A single device that both generates fuel and oxidant from water and, when a switch is flipped, converts the fuel and oxygen into electricity and water, has a host of benefits for terrestrial, space and military applications. From low environmental impact to high energy density, developing efficient unitized regenerative fuel cells, or URFCs as they are called, has been in researchers' sights for years now.

But to truly be efficient, an URFC needs bifunctional catalysts. This means, in electrolyzer mode, catalysts should facilitate the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen, and, in fuel cell mode, facilitate their recombination into water. Now, working in the lab of Vijay Ramani, the Roma B. & Raymond H. Wittcoff Distinguished University Professor, a team of researchers has found an excellent bifunctional catalyst for the oxygen electrode.

Their work was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Unlike the hydrogen electrode, wherein platinum is an effective bifunctional catalyst, it is very challenging to identify a suitable catalyst for the oxygen electrode due to the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution," said Pralay Gayen, currently working at Intel, who was a postdoctoral research associate in Ramani's lab at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and served as the paper's first author.

Sulay Saha, a postdoctoral research associate in Ramani's laboratory, and Gayen's research was guided by first principles—taking into account the fundamental properties of different substances before heading to the lab to test potential catalysts.
weatheriscool
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"Dead zone" discovery could bring high-density silicon batteries to life
By Nick Lavars
October 06, 2021
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With the potential to hold many times more energy than the graphite it would replace, silicon is an enticing proposition for scientists working on next-generation lithium batteries. The trouble is that the silicon doesn't stand up so well to the stresses of battery cycling, but through first-of-a-kind observations researchers have gained new insights into the reasons why, and uncovered clues as to how this swift deterioration might be avoided.

Scientists working to integrate silicon into lithium-ion batteries hope to incorporate or entirely replace the graphite used as the anode component, where it has the potential to store as much as 10 times the energy. The trouble is, however, that as the battery is charged and discharged, the silicon swells and causes the anode to crack, ultimately ruining any chance the battery has of holding a charge.

We've seen some interesting approaches to solving this dilemma over the years, including using silicon with special nanostructures, combining it with solid state electrolytes, forming silicon sandwiches or caging the material in graphene. But a new understanding of the reasons why silicon anodes rapidly fail could greatly aid efforts to shore up their stability, with scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory now witnessing the process in unprecedented detail.
https://newatlas.com/energy/dead-zone-d ... batteries/
weatheriscool
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Researchers determine optimum pressure to improve the performance of lithium metal batteries
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-opt ... eries.html
by University of California - San Diego
A team of materials scientists and chemists has determined the proper stack pressure that lithium metal batteries, or LMBs, need to be subjected to during battery operation in order to produce optimal performance.

The team, which includes researchers from the University of California San Diego, Michigan State University, Idaho National Laboratory and the General Motors Research and Development Center, presents their findings in the Oct. 18 issue of Nature Energy.

Using lithium metal to replace the graphite for battery anodes is the ultimate goal for part of the battery R&D field; these lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) have the potential to double the capacity of today's best lithium-ion technologies. For example, lithium metal battery-powered electric vehicles would have twice the range of lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles, for the same battery weight.

Despite this advantage over lithium-ion batteries, LMBs are not considered a viable option to power electric vehicles or electronics, because of their short lifespan and potential safety hazards, specifically short circuits caused by lithium dendrite growth. Researchers and technologists had noticed that subjecting LMBs to pressure during battery cycling increases performance and stability, helping to solve this lifespan challenge. But the reasons behind this were not fully understood.

"We not only answered this scientific question, but also identified the optimum pressure needed," said Shirley Meng, a professor in the UC San Diego Department of NanoEngineering and the paper's senior author. "We also proposed new testing protocols for maximum LMB performance."
weatheriscool
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Toyota, Stellantis to Build EV-Battery Factories in the U.S.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Car makers accelerate push into the American electric-vehicle market as President Biden toughens fuel-efficiency standards

Toyota Motor Corp. and Jeep parent Stellantis NV said separately Monday they would build battery factories in the U.S., the latest in a string of big-ticket investments by auto makers looking to sell more electric cars.

Stricter fuel-efficiency targets set by the Biden administration, combined with broader efforts around the globe, are pushing car companies to spend tens of billions of dollars collectively on new factories for EVs and the batteries to power them.

Toyota said it planned to spend $3.4 billion through 2030 to build electric-car batteries in the U.S. Previously it said it would spend roughly $9 billion building battery factories around the world as part of a $13.5 billion battery plan that includes research, but it hadn’t specified how much would be spent in the U.S.

Toyota didn’t present a full breakdown on the U.S. spending, but it said it and an affiliated company would spend $1.29 billion on a new battery plant. The plant aims to start production in 2025.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/toyota-ste ... 1634551200
weatheriscool
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New material could pave way for better, safer batteries
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-mat ... eries.html
by Brown University
In pursuit of batteries that deliver more power and operate more safely, researchers are working to replace the liquids commonly used in today's lithium ion batteries with solid materials. Now, a research team from Brown University and the University of Maryland has developed a new material for use in solid-state batteries that's derived from an unlikely source: Trees.

In research published in the journal Nature, the team demonstrates a solid ion conductor that combines copper with cellulose nanofibrils—polymer tubes derived from wood. The paper-thin material has an ion conductivity that is 10 to 100 times better than other polymer ion conductors, the researchers say. It could be used as either a solid battery electrolyte or as an ion-conducting binder for the cathode of an all-solid-state battery.

"By incorporating copper with one-dimensional cellulose nanofibrils, we demonstrated that the normally ion-insulating cellulose offers a speedier lithium-ion transport within the polymer chains," said Liangbing Hu, a professor in the University of Maryland's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. "In fact, we found this ion conductor achieved a record high ionic conductivity among all solid polymer electrolytes."

The work was a collaboration between Hu's lab and the lab of Yue Qi, a professor at Brown's School of Engineering.

Today's lithium ion batteries, which are widely used in everything from cellphones to cars, have electrolytes made from lithium salt dissolved in a liquid organic solvent. The electrolyte's job is to conduct lithium ions between a battery's cathode and anode. Liquid electrolytes work pretty well, but they have some downsides. At high currents, tiny filaments of lithium metal, called dendrites, can form in the electrolyte leading to short circuits. In addition, liquid electrolytes are made with flammable and toxic chemicals, which can catch fire.

Solid electrolytes have the potential to prevent dendrite penetration and can be made from non-flammable materials. Most of the solid electrolytes investigated so far are ceramic materials, which are great at conducting ions but they're also thick, rigid and brittle. Stresses during manufacturing as well as charging and discharging can lead to cracks and breaks.
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