Scientists just made a groundbreaking discovery that could dramatically improve EV performance: 'This could lead to a big breakthrough'
Scientists based in a Midwestern laboratory are tweaking textures in an effort to improve battery chemistry.
And while it might sound like part of an art project, the texture manipulation happening at the University of Chicago could improve power pack performance by revamping a historically overlooked part of the units, according to a news release.
What's more, better batteries can improve electric vehicle performance as well as energy storage capacity.
"Soft metals like lithium and sodium have excellent properties for being batteries' negative electrodes, with lithium considered as an ultimate anode material for future high-energy rechargeable batteries," professor Shirley Meng said. "There is a gap in understanding the grain orientation, also known as the texture, how such [a] factor impacts the rechargeable metal battery performance."
As batteries charge and discharge, ions move between the anode and cathode through the electrolyte, as described by the U.S. Department of Energy. Researchers worldwide are hunting lower-cost, higher-performing materials to build next-generation packs. It seems the surface composition may play an overlooked role.
The Chicago team worked with experts from Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher Scientific. The experts found that packs with certain textures performed better. The crucial result highlighted a scenario wherein "atoms" move quickly on the soft anode surface.
"Since batteries with lithium or sodium metal rely on these textures for favored rate capability, the team wondered if tweaking the texture of soft metals could improve power densities," associate professor Minghao Zhang, the study's first author, said.
The team added a thin layer of silicon between the lithium metal and the current collector to achieve a texture change, which was studied with highly advanced imaging, providing a unique view of the anode surface, all according to the release.
"This change improved the battery's rate capability by nearly 10 times in all-solid-state batteries using lithium metal," Meng said.
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Solid-state batteries use a hard electrolyte instead of the common liquid version. While large-scale manufacturing for solid-state packs has been a hurdle, continued intrigue is based on better safety, a lighter weight, faster charge speeds, and longer lifespans, Top Speed reported.
The expert group is working with South Korea's LG Energy Solution to commercialize the tech. LG said in the release that it considers investing in breakthroughs important to stay ahead of the ever-evolving battery sector.
The investments are pivotal to continuing the worldwide switch to cleaner energy sources, a move crucial to curbing heat-trapping air pollution. Long-term fume exposure is linked by Denmark health experts to increased risk for dementia. The World Health Organization reported that nearly all of Earth's population breathes air that doesn't meet its standards, for reference.
If the newly textured Chicago anodes can produce a better energy storer, the results could impact homes from coast to coast. Batteries that can store intermittent renewable electricity for longer stretches can help to expand use and alleviate grid demand.
Programs including community solar already offer a way to tap abundant sun energy by leasing service from nearby solar farms. The programs can save you hundreds of bucks a year on your energy bills without the need to install equipment at home. With improved storage, greater amounts of sunpower would be available for longer time periods.
On the battery front, the Chicago researchers think that sodium metals will respond to texture changes as well, opening the door for more innovations to come.
"This means that using sodium as the battery's anode in all-solid-state batteries could lead to a big breakthrough in future energy storage," Zhang said.
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