(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists claim that they have created a new type of battery that does not lose capacity after many charge cycles.
Electrode material could pave the way for new EV batteries that don’t suffer from ever-decreasing lifespans and consequent costly and environmentally damaging replacements.
Lithium-ion batteries are heavy, expensive, relatively short-lived, and therefore not many car owners are willing to give up a car with an internal combustion engine.
If the world really wants to use electric vehicles, then battery life must increase and costs must come down.
The researchers propose using solid-state batteries (SSBs), a promising new technology that can do just that.
Li-ion batteries use a liquid electrolyte to facilitate the flow of charged ions during charging and discharging, while solid state batteries are made from completely solid materials.
These batteries charge faster, do not pose a safety hazard if spilled, and can store more energy than their liquid counterparts, but are currently limited by damage to the electrodes when lithium ions pass through them.
This is because the electrodes expand and contract as the ions move as their structure changes. If SSBs are to become viable, they need a way to stop this movement.
To combat this problem, a team of researchers studied a new type of SSB material that is incredibly stable, preventing damage to the electrodes.
This material is useful for one main reason: it has the same volume when ions exit or enter it.
In this way, the battery can be used over and over again without the regular destruction of the material – it can technically be charged and discharged indefinitely.
The team tested it and found no degradation in quality over 400 charge/discharge cycles, which you certainly don’t get with Lithium Ion batteries.
It’s not quite perfect yet, but lead author Professor Naoaki Yabuuchi thinks they’re well on their way to making it that way.
“The absence of capacity loss over 400 cycles clearly indicates the superior performance of this material when compared to the performance of conventional laminated solids,” co-author Associate Professor Neeraj Sharma said in a statement.
“This discovery could significantly reduce the cost of a battery.
The development of practical, high-performance solid-state batteries could also lead to the development of modern electric vehicles .”
According to the research team, this battery will allow charging an electric car in just five minutes, with more capacity but at a much lower cost.
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