Revitalizing batteries by bringing ‘dead’ lithium back to life

Science Daily  January 4, 2022
Because i-Li loses electrical connection with the current collector, it has been considered electrochemically inactive or ‘dead’ in batteries. A team of researchers in the US (Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) showed that i-Li is highly responsive to battery operations, owing to its dynamic polarization to the electric field in the electrolyte. Simultaneous Li deposition and dissolution occurs on two ends of the i-Li, leading to its spatial progression toward the cathode (anode) during charge (discharge). Through their results they showed that the progression rate of i-Li is mainly affected by its length, orientation, and the applied current density. They successfully demonstrated the recovery of i-Li in Cu–Li cells with >100% Coulombic efficiency and realized full cells with extended cycle life…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Dynamic polarization of i-Li under an electric field.
Credit: Nature volume 600, pages659–663 (2021)