Princeton University battery experts are analyzing whether next-generation power packs can be improved by removing a key part. And the component they are looking to ax — the anode — will likely surprise anyone familiar with the inner workings of common energy storers.
The goal is to make 500-mile electric vehicle range the norm as well as ultra-fast charging for phones and devices, per a news release and a series of related articles.
"If we can successfully introduce these up-and-coming batteries, we can access energy densities that are impossible with conventional batteries. It could allow electric vehicles to hit over 500 miles on a charge. It could even move us toward feats that seem impossible today, like electrified aviation," associate professor Kelsey Hatzell, research team lead, said in the release.
The anode is typically one of two electrodes in packs. Ions move between it and the cathode through the electrolyte during operation, according to the U.S. Energy Department.
Removing the anode, often made from graphite or silicon, makes the battery cells cheaper and more compact, the news release stated. Graphite is subject to troublesome foreign supply chains. Silicon is emerging as a promising anode material, garnering investment from Panasonic and other companies.
Hatzell's team intends to shelve both materials as part of its solid-state packs, which have hard electrolytes instead of common liquids. Emerging solid types are lighter, are safer, charge faster, and last longer. But affordable scaled manufacturing has been a challenge, all per TopSpeed.
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That's part of the conundrum Princeton's experts intend to solve. Removing the anode nixes specialized production steps. When ions move toward the negative side of the battery, they form a thin metal foil on the current collector that takes the place of the anode, according to the news release. It's a solution that cuts costs and uses existing manufacturing techniques.
"Both of these advantages are key if you want to make a dent in the battery market," Hatzell said.
The tech still has some bugs to work out, including uneven ion plating during contact with the current collector — the critical process that allows for removing the anode. The team is studying how applying pressure in the system can solve the problem. Adding a nano-sized carbon and silver interlayer has shown an ability to ease ideal ion plating, the news release added.
"The holy grail in this area will be to figure out how to maintain solid contact at low pressures," Hatzell said. "If we want to realize the potential of these batteries, we have to solve the contact issue."
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The team is continuing to tinker with the carbon and silver particle sizes and pressure to achieve the biblical-likened benchmark. The battery world is no stranger to "holy grail" claims. Harvard researchers are working on a lithium-metal anode pack that has garnered references to the carpenter's cup as well.
If Princeton unlocks a common 500-mile EV range, it would crush the already impressive 283-mile average the DOE listed for model year 2024 rides, up 13 miles from the prior year. The better mileage can add to an already strong U.S. EV market. Each EV that replaces a gas-guzzler prevents thousands of pounds of lung-troubling tailpipe gases annually, per the DOE.
Tax breaks are available to help with the purchase, in addition to the $1,500 yearly gas and maintenance savings that can be realized by switching.
The next step for Princeton's team is moving from the research room to the road.
"The challenge will be getting … to the real world in only a few years," Hatzell said.
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