As the market for plug-in vehicles grows, so does the demand for the materials associated with production, particularly lithium and cobalt, which are used in Li-on batteries. The DOE’s Critical Materials Institute (CMI) is focused on recycling and reducing the demand for rare metals that may experience shortages in the future. The agency is also… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "lithium metal"
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 »
Chinese companies increasing their pursuit of lithium resources
A recent report from metals and minerals research firm Roskill details how China is quickly working to increase its control of the lithium supply chain to support the rapid growth of its lithium-ion battery industry. The report provides examples of several major players who have recently announced or completed acquisitions. CATL, one of China’s largest… Read more »
UK lithium sulfur battery firm OXIS secures funding to expand to Brazil
UK battery technology company OXIS Energy will receive a £3.7-million investment from the Brazilian private equity fund Aerotec, paving the way for OXIS to open a subsidiary in Brazil. The agreement provides for a Brazilian team to be trained at OXIS Energy’s headquarters in Oxford, as well as the creation of an R&D center in… Read more »
Sion Power to begin production of Licerion batteries with Li-metal anodes
Sion Power plans to begin production of its Licerion lithium metal battery in late 2018 from its Tucson facility. Sion says Licerion technology will offer specific energy of 500 Wh/kg, energy density of 1,000 Wh/L, and a lifetime of 450 cycles. Licerion technology, a product of Sion’s technical collaboration with BASF, covers a wide range… Read more »
New membrane extracts lithium from fracking waste water
As EVs proliferate, global demand for lithium is rapidly outpacing the rate at which it can be mined or recycled, but an international team of researchers are working on a solution. Professor Benny Freeman of the University of Texas, and his colleagues at Monash University and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in… Read more »
Lithium-ion battery inspired by safety glass could reduce fire risk
Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a way to mitigate the risk of battery failure during automobile accidents by including slits along the electrodes. In “Limiting Internal Short-Circuit Damage by Electrode Partition for Impact-Tolerant Li-Ion Batteries,” published in the journal Joule, the research team explains how this technology could allow manufacturers… Read more »
Saft team develops first metal hydride-sulfur battery
Researchers at French battery-maker Saft and Université Paris Est have, for the first time, used a nanocomposite metal hydride as the anode in a complete solid-state battery with a sulfur cathode and LiBH4 electrolyte. In “An all-solid-state metal hydride-Sulfur lithium-ion battery,” published in the Journal of Power Sources, Pedro López-Aranguren and colleagues explain that their… Read more »
UT Austin team developing solid-state sodium or lithium battery cell
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have devised a new strategy for an all-solid-state sodium or lithium EV battery cell. In “Alternative Strategy for a Safe Rechargeable Battery,” published in Energy & Environmental Science, noted lithium-ion battery pioneer Professor John Goodenough and his colleagues explain that the cells use a solid glass electrolyte…. Read more »
Penn State professor wins grant to develop self-healing layers for Li metal anodes
Donghai Wang, who leads the Energy Nanostructure Laboratory at Penn State, has won a $1.1-million grant from the DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office to develop a new lithium-ion conductor that will prevent the formation of dendrites, the bane of lithium metal anodes. Wang and his team plan to use thin layers of nanostructured hybrid materials to… Read more »