Scientists from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) have developed a silica-based cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries, which they say could enable batteries that last for over 2,000 charge/discharge cycles. Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs)—composed of a sulfur-based cathode and lithium anode submerged in a liquid electrolyte—are promising candidates to replace lithium-ion batteries because of… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "lithium metal batteries"
Battery500 Consortium steadily increases energy density and cycle life of Li-metal cells
Launched in 2017, the Battery500 Consortium is a multi-institution program working to develop next-generation lithium metal anode cells delivering gravimetric energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg. The Battery500 team is composed of scientists and engineers from four national laboratories and five universities. Two of the researchers on the team, Professor Stanley Whittingham of Binghamton… Read more »
New research suggests fluorine-based electrolyte enhances lithium metal battery stability
Scientists at the Ulsan National Institute for Science and Technology (UNIST), led by Professors Nam-Soon Choi and Sang Kyu Kwak, have developed a fluorine-based electrolyte for lithium metal batteries with Ni-rich NCM cathodes. According to their paper, published in Nano Energy, the electrolyte evenly formed a protective film on the negative and positive electrodes, increasing… Read more »
MIT team develops novel solid electrolytes and pure lithium anodes
New research from MIT could lead to batteries that pack more power per pound and last longer. A new paper co-authored by Yuming Chen and Ziqiang Wang at MIT explores the idea of using pure lithium as the battery’s anode. The design is part of a concept for developing safe solid-state batteries by dispensing with… Read more »
BMW revamps battery materials supply chain, signs supply contract for raw lithium
BMW Group has signed a €540-million contract with China’s Ganfeng Lithium for the supply of raw lithium from mines in Australia. The carmaker has restructured its supply chains for its upcoming fifth generation of battery cells. From 2020 on, it will directly source both lithium and cobalt. The raw materials will then pass on to… Read more »
IBM unveils heavy metal-free battery that performs better than Li-ion
IBM Research has unveiled new battery materials extracted from seawater that it says could help eliminate the need for dangerous heavy metals in battery production. Use of the three new proprietary materials create a battery chemistry that does not use heavy metals or other substances that suffer from concerns about sourcing. Beyond the environmental and… Read more »
New report: Cost and performance of batteries improving much faster than forecast
A new report from the Rocky Mountain Institute (via Forbes) finds that improvements in the cost and performance of batteries are quickly outpacing forecasts, due to massive investments in battery manufacturing and steady advances in technology. According to RMI’s Breakthrough Batteries Report, venture capital firms invested over $1.4 billion in battery tech in the first… Read more »
PNNL scientists pinpoint cause of dendrites in lithium batteries
Scientists at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Lab have uncovered a “root” cause of the growth of needle-like structures – known as dendrites and whiskers – that plague lithium batteries and can cause short circuit, failure, and even fire. Dendrites are tiny, rigid tree-like structures that can grow inside a lithium battery. Their needle-like projections… Read more »
Argonne develops electrolyte for next-gen lithium battery with silicon anodes
Researchers at the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new electrolyte mixture and a simple additive that could have a place in the next generation of lithium-ion batteries that feature silicon anodes. The report findings were published in July in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Scientists have long seen the silicon anode… Read more »
DOE awards $1.2 million to Wildcat Discovery for improved solid-state batteries
The US DOE has awarded $1,223,833 to Wildcat Discovery Technologies, a company that uses high-throughput methods to develop next-generation battery materials, to develop materials for an all-solid-state battery. Solid-state batteries will allow for higher energy densities and better safety performance, according to Wildcat, which will use the money to explore the development of a composite… Read more »