A research team led by the University of California San Diego has discovered the root cause of why lithium metal batteries fail. The team found that bits of lithium metal deposits break off from the surface of the anode during discharging and are trapped as “dead” or inactive lithium that the battery can no longer… Read more »

Lithium metal is a promising new material for battery electrodes, thanks to its high specific capacity and low voltage, but safety issues caused by dendrite growth and instability in air caused by its high chemical activity limit its large-scale use as an electrode material. However, a simple and efficient solution could be on the way… Read more »

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have developed a semi-liquid lithium metal-based anode that could lead to higher capacity and better safety than typical lithium metal-based batteries that use lithium foil as anodes. The research team published their findings in the June 2019 issue of Joule. “Incorporating a mewtallic lithium anode into lithium-ion batteries has the… Read more »

Carbon nanotubes could make high-powered, fast-charging lithium metal batteries an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, according to new research from Rice University. In a paper published this month in the journal Advanced Materials, the researchers show how a carbon nanotube film can be used to keep batteries safe from dendrites, spear-like protrusions that naturally form on… Read more »

Ranges are getting longer, battery capacities are getting larger, and the pressure is on to find ways to make charging faster. Unfortunately, reducing charging time by increasing charging current can have a negative effect on battery lifetime and safety. One reason for this is a phenomenon called lithium plating. “The rate at which lithium ions… Read more »

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed a way to stabilize lithium metal electrodes by forming a single-ion-conducting and stable protective surface layer in vivo. In “An In Vivo Formed Solid Electrolyte Surface Layer Enables Stable Plating of Li Metal,” published in the journal Joule, Quan Pang, Xiao Liang and colleagues explain how they… Read more »

Lithium metal, which can store more energy than carbon, would seem to be an ideal anode material, except for one serious flaw: dendrites, tiny needle-like branching structures that can grow through the battery, eventually causing a short circuit. Now, a joint team of researchers from Caltech and Carnegie Mellon University has measured the strength of… Read more »