Nickel-zinc (NiZn) specialist ZAF Energy Systems has received $300,000, the first installment of a $600,000 investment from Missouri’s Department of Economic Development. With the new funding, ZAF will increase production capacity to meet the increasing demand for its NiZn batteries. The company claims that the batteries have double the storage capacity and triple the power… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "dendrite"
Cambridge study reveals fast-charging potential of niobium tungsten oxides
Cambridge research has shed light on the potential of a previously ignored class of electrode material: niobium tungsten oxides. These compounds display several promising properties, including a lack of the dendrite formation which plagues graphite-based designs. They have a relatively large particle size and a structure that allows lithium ions to travel freely. This high transport rate can… Read more »
New solid polymer electrolyte doubles proton flow rate
Engineers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Florida have recently made a breakthrough in the development of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). Current liquid electrolytes require thick, heavy housings in order to prevent leaks and fires from punctures, increasing their bulk and weight. SPEs solve many of these problems, but until recently, they were… Read more »
Researchers achieve extended cycle life using molybdenum compound as protective anode layer in Li-S batteries
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas have used two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as a protective layer for Li-metal anodes to greatly improve the performance of Li-S batteries. In “2D MoS2 as an efficient protective layer for lithium metal anodes in high-performance Li–S batteries,” published in Nature Nanotechnology , the researchers report that such a use of MoS2 results in… Read more »
NREL scientists discover new approach for magnesium-metal batteries
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have pioneered a method that enables reversible chemistry of magnesium metal in noncorrosive carbonate-based electrolytes. The technology has several potential advantages over lithium-ion batteries, including higher energy density, improved stability and lower cost. Magnesium batteries can theoretically store almost twice as much energy per volume as lithium-ion… Read more »
New Li-ion battery sensor tech promises 5x faster charging
According to researchers at the University of Warwick (UK), a new testing technique they have developed shows that commercially available lithium-ion batteries can safely be charged up to five times faster than currently recommended. In a paper entitled “Understanding the limits of rapid charging using instrumented commercial 18650 high-energy Li-ion cells,” published in the journal Electrochimica… Read more »
Ionic Materials emerges as a leader in solid-state batteries by focusing on polymer science
Mike Zimmerman, CEO and founder of Ionic Materials, has this to say about his company: “Ionic will play a major role in the solution to the world’s energy problems.” That’s a pretty bold statement. But then again, Mike Zimmerman is a pretty bold man. An experienced polymer scientist, Zimmerman has worked on a number of… Read more »
Waterloo team develops low-cost approach to stabilize lithium metal anodes
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 »
Swiss researchers develop prototype solid-state sodium battery
Researchers from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have built a prototype solid-state battery based on sodium as an alternative to lithium. The scientists described their research in the journal Energy and Environmental Science. Using metallic lithium as an anode material would theoretically increase energy… Read more »
Fisker files patents on solid-state battery tech
Reborn automaker Fisker has filed patents for a new type of solid-state battery technology that it says could lead to much greater energy density and faster charging times. According to Fisker, current limitations of solid-state technology include low electrode current density, limited temperature ranges and non-scalable manufacturing processes. Other drawbacks include: low power and low… Read more »