Images from Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) show catalyzed cells exhibiting longer cycle life than uncatalyzed cells under similar cycling conditions. Credit: Ates, M. N., et al. (2016) Lithium-air batteries, which have the highest theoretical energy density of all known battery devices, could revolutionize the energy economy. However, there are several technical challenges to… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "lithium-air"
Researchers use nanolithia to improve efficiency and longevity of lithium-air batteries
Lithium-air, or lithium-oxygen, has been touted as the ultimate battery technology, because its theoretical energy density is ten times that of current lithium-ion solutions. However, scientists have struggled to overcome major challenges with the technology. The batteries waste a lot of energy as heat, degrade relatively quickly, and often require extra components to pump oxygen… Read more »
New papers cast doubt on lithium-air breakthrough
Back in October, Cambridge scientists wowed the battery world with an announcement that they had demonstrated a highly efficient and long-lasting lithium-oxygen battery. Lithium-oxygen, or lithium-air, batteries have a theoretical energy density ten times that of lithium-ion solutions, but suffer from poor cycle life. In a paper published in the journal Science, Tao Liu and… Read more »
Researchers demonstrate aqueous lithium-air battery with energy density of 300 Wh/kg
Researchers at Mie University in Japan have developed a new protected lithium electrode for aqueous lithium-air batteries, which they presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. Lithium-air batteries are attracting a lot of attention, because of their potential to deliver much higher energy density than current Li-ion designs. Most recent studies have… Read more »
BMW: lithium-air batteries will double EV range within four to five years
Most experts agree that the eventual dominance of electric vehicles depends on a big breakthrough in battery technology. With researchers around the globe feverishly working on such an advance, there’s no question (except among the most rabid EV-haters) that it will happen. If you ask when the big break will occur, however, you’ll find a… Read more »
Toray develops ion-conductive polymer membrane for batteries
Toray Industries, a Japanese performance chemical manufacturer, has developed an ion-conductive polymer membrane that it says delivers 10 times the ion conductivity of its predecessors. The new polymer membranes offer ion conductivity through hopping conduction. This mechanism enables lithium ions to traverse between interacting sites within polymer membranes, jumping across sites. The membranes remain non-porous…. Read more »
Researchers demonstrate a four-electron reaction that improves energy density in Li-air batteries
Lithium-air batteries could theoretically deliver an energy density comparable to that of gasoline. However, in most systems, the reaction pathways either involve one- or two-electron transfer, leading to lithium peroxide (Li2O2) or lithium superoxide (LiO2), respectively. Researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Argonne National Laboratory are investigating a way to create a lithium-air… Read more »
Researchers create room-temperature 1,000+ cycle solid-state Li-air battery
Researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, and University of Illinois at Chicago say they have created a room-temperature solid-state lithium-air battery that is rechargeable for 1,000 cycles, has a minimal polarization gap, and operates at high rates. In “A room temperature rechargeable Li2O-based lithium-air battery enabled by a solid electrolyte,” published… Read more »
DOE awards $60 million to 24 emission-reduction R&D projects
The DOE has awarded $60 million in funding to 24 R&D projects aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light- and heavy-duty trucks. The projects, funded through the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicles Technology Office (VTO), address the two largest contributors to transportation-sector emissions. Passenger cars and light-duty… Read more »
Wildcat sorts through the avalanche of new battery materials to find the best
As automakers and cell manufacturers begin to realize the complexity of benchmarking new battery materials, Wildcat Discovery Technology is using its high-speed R&D technology to help find clarity If you follow battery technology news on a regular basis as we do, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the volume of new announcements. There are… Read more »