A quick skim through recent battery research out of South Korea could leave some readers thinking about cat litter.
But unlike the experts at Purina, the power pack scientists are working to avoid clumping with their product, and their success could mean an astounding 14% increase in electric vehicle range, according to a news release from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, or UNIST.
The team has created an electrode that is five times thicker than normal with a dry manufacturing process instead of a so-called wet method that uses chemical solvents, a win for the environment. The innovative technique boosted capacity while maintaining charging speeds, according to the UNIST release.
In common power packs, lithium ions move between two electrodes, a positive and a negative, through a substance called electrolyte, as detailed by the U.S. Department of Energy. Experts around the world are working to find better, cheaper materials that can be gathered with secure, regional supply chains. Silicon, potassium, and salt are some of the substances being studied for next-generation battery parts.
Thicker electrodes can help, but common wet manufacturing has resulted in ruinous clumping for "powder-type electrodes." The UNIST team added "spherical conductive agents" to improve conductivity as well as electrode microstructures. The add-ons avoided performance reductions that have been typical for fatter cathodes. The production line works as material particles are dropped under a series of rollers, which seem to compress it into a thin sheet, according to information and a rendering shared by UNIST.
The result is a 372-mile range — or a trip from Seoul to Busan for motorists near the 38th parallel — on a single charge, research team lead Professor Kyeong-Min Jeong said in the release.
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For reference, the DOE listed the average range for 2023 EVs at 270 miles. It's a distance that continues to increase with better tech.
The improvements are being realized in the market. Reuters reported that EV and plug-in hybrid sales increased by 25% last year to 17 million vehicles. Each EV that replaces a gas-burning car prevents thousands of pounds of heat-trapping tailpipe exhaust from being fumed into the air and up into the atmosphere, even in regions where dirty fuels provide the electricity to charge them, per the DOE.
Nixing the pipe gas is a boon for our lungs, as federal medical experts noted that it can cause increased respiratory and heart health concerns and even cancer risks. More findings suggest possible association to depression and anxiety, as well, per the National Library of Medicine.
EV purchases stateside remain aided by valuable tax breaks worth up to $7,500. That's in addition to the $1,500 a year in gas/maintenance costs that can be realized by making the switch.
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At UNIST, the team thinks the path is clear for larger-scale implementation of its technique.
"This technology marks a significant breakthrough, advancing both capacity and performance of eco-friendly dry electrodes," study first author Hyesong Oh said in the UNIST release. "It is particularly noteworthy for demonstrating the performance of … pouch cells, paving the way for large-scale production beyond laboratory coin cell experiments."
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