Phys.org June 3, 2021 A team of researchers in Switzerland developed and implemented the concept of a biodegradable electricity storage device. They developed gelatinous inks which consists of cellulose nanofibers and cellulose nanocrystallites, carbon in the form of carbon black, graphite and activated carbon. They used glycerin, water and two different types of alcohol to mix the ingredients and a pinch of table salt for ionic conductivity. They built a functioning supercapacitor from four layers of these ingredients flowing from a 3D printer one after the other: a flexible substrate, a conductive layer, the electrode and finally the electrolyte. The […]
Category Archives: Battery technology
Making batteries live longer with ultrathin lithium
Phys.org June 1, 2021 Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have high energy density that exceeds lithium batteries (LIBs) by an order of magnitude. The key difference lies in the choice of anode material: LIBs use graphite leading to the formation of dendrites, whereas LMBs use lithium metal. Researchers in South Korea adopted a novel approach in which they pre-planted LiNO3 in the lithium metal powder (LMP) itself during the electrode fabrication process, allowing them to fabricate ~150-mm-wide and 20-μm-thick electrodes, which showed a coulombic efficiency of 96%. The addition of LiNO3 to LMP accomplished two things: it induced a uniform N-rich […]
Rechargeable cement-based batteries
Science Daily May 18, 2021 Researchers in Sweden have developed a rechargeable cement-based battery using iron and zinc as anodes, and nickel-based oxides as cathodes. The conductivity of cement-based electrolytes was modified by adding short carbon fibers. The electrodes were produced by two methods: powder-mixing and metal-coating. Different combinations of cells were tested. The results showed that the best performance of the rechargeable battery was the Ni–Fe battery, produced by the metal-coating method. The battery has an average energy density of 7 Wh/m2 (or 0.8 Wh/L) during six charge/discharge cycles. Their battery could be more than ten times that of […]
Chemists develop a new technology to prevent lithium-ion batteries from catching fire
EurekAlert March 3, 2021 Researchers in Russia have developed a new approach to overcharge protection of Li-ion cells, which is provided by use of electrically conductive polymer that change electrical conductivity from conductive to insulating stage. A layer of the polymer deposited between the LiFePO4 -based cathode material and current collector acts as a chemical circuit breaker increasing the electrode resistance more than 20 times when the cell voltage exceeds 4.2 V. At 5 V overcharge it allows reversible charge-discharge of the cell without developing adverse process, while at 6 V overcharge it terminates the cell operation before electrolyte decomposition […]
Batteries that can be assembled in ambient air
EurekAlert February 1, 2021 Lithium batteries are typically assembled in a dry room that controls moisture because lithium salts in the electrolytes are highly reactive with moisture, which has a significant effect on the battery performance. Researchers in South Korea fabricated impurity scavenging separator membrane (ISM) using a powerful H2O and HF scavenging material. The material was synthesized by a urethane reaction between porous silica (p-SiO2) and (3-isocynatopropyl) triethoxysilane (ICPTES). The p-SiO2 reaction with ICPTES suppressed the acidification of the electrolyte with water and resulted in maintaining the shape of the SiO2 particles. The multifunctional separator exhibited high capacity retention […]
Innovative battery chemistry revolutionizes zinc-air battery
Science Daily January 4, 2021 An international team of researchers (Germany, China, USA – University of Maryland, US Army Research Laboratory) has developed a zinc-air battery based on an innovative, non-alkaline, aqueous electrolyte bringing a previously unknown reversible zinc peroxide chemistry into the zinc-air battery. The new battery overcomes the high chemical instability, parasitic reactions in the usage of alkaline electrolytes lead to electrochemical irreversibility. The electrolyte which is based on the zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate salt, has several decisive advantages – the zinc anode is used more efficiently with a higher chemical stability and electrochemical reversibility, operate stably for 320 cycles […]
The Lithium-Ion Battery With Built-In Fire Suppression
IEEE Spectrum October 22, 2020 To make lithium-ion batteries lighter, safer and more efficient a team of researchers in the US (Stanford University, SALC National Accelerators Laboratory) redesigned current conductors, thin metal foils that distribute current to and from electrodes, by replacing the all-copper conductor middle, with a layer of lightweight polymer coated in ultrathin copper and embedded fire retardant in the polymer layer to quench flames. The polymer makes the current collector 80 percent lighter, leading to an increase in energy density from 16 to 26 percent. Whenever the battery has combustion issues, the fire retardant embedded inside the […]
Scientists identify solid electrolyte materials that boost lithium-ion battery performance
TechXplore September 22, 2020 To find reliable solid electrolytes a team of researchers in the US (Stanford University, industry) trained a computer algorithm to screen more than 12,000 lithium-containing compounds in a materials database. Within minutes the algorithm identified approximately 20 promising materials, including four little-known compounds made of lithium, boron and sulfur. They studied four compounds using density functional theory, which simulates how the materials would behave at the atomic level. Their findings include the following: Lithium-boron-sulfur electrolytes could be about twice as stable as the leading solid electrolytes; When mixed together, the four lithium-boron-sulfur compounds would continue functioning […]
BATTERY 2030+ – large-scale European initiative for battery research starts up
EurekAlert September 9, 2020 BATTERY 2030+ is a EU Horizon 2020 funded project led by Sweden. The goal is to create more environmentally friendly and safer batteries with better performance, greater storage options and longer life. The current research projects are operating in three different areas: I. Development of a European infrastructure platform to combine large-scale calculations and experimental studies to map the complex reactions that take place in a battery. II. Development and integration of sensors that examine and report on the battery’s health in real time. III. Development of self-healing components that extend battery life and improve safety…read more.
New insights into lithium-ion battery failure mechanism
Science Daily August 25, 2020 Ni-rich layered cathode materials are among the most promising candidates for high-energy-density Li-ion batteries, yet their degradation mechanisms are still poorly understood. Researchers in the UK found that as the battery materials expand and shrink the lithium ions move in and out. With prolonged use the atoms at the surface of the material had rearranged to form new structures that are no longer able to store energy. The areas of reconstructed surface apparently act as stakes that pin the rest of the material in place and prevent it from the contraction which is required to […]