Researchers uncovered a solution that could make the lithium-ion batteries that power EVs more reliable and less prone to rare but high-profile incidents like explosions and fires.
Interesting Engineering detailed a Cornell team's efforts in optimizing an alternative to conventional lithium-ion setups featuring liquid electrolytes.
The issue with current batteries is "liquid electrolytes can form spiky dendrites between the battery's anode and cathode, which short out the battery or, in rare cases, explode," per a press release on the study.
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The team took on the challenge of finding a solution for a safer alternative of solid-state electrolytes. The biggest sticking point was finding a way to facilitate fast enough movements by lithium ions facing the greater resistance in solids.
Using an innovative structure involving macrocycles and molecular cages they were able to achieve "the ideal pathway for the ion to transport," according to project leader Yu Zhong. They published their breakthrough results in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
"That conductivity is the record high for these molecule-based, solid-state lithium-ion-conducting electrolytes," Zhong said.
Finding ways to improve the safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries will be critical to the future of clean energy. The dangers of batteries exploding or setting on fire can be overstated. Kelley Blue Book noted that a study showed that gas-powered vehicles are actually more likely to set on fire.
That being said, solid-state batteries are considered the future of lithium-ion batteries by many. The Cornell team's efforts are joined by McGill scientists, a Department of Energy group, and a South Korean team among others in tackling ways to improve their feasibility and efficacy.
Companies and researchers are also hard at work looking to find cheaper, more abundant materials for the batteries, as well as optimizing the energy they generate.
That could have major ripple effects on the EV market, sweetening the deal for drivers concerned about range anxiety, battery safety, and price.
EVs already offer a strong proposition for drivers led by major fuel and maintenance savings, as well as a reduction in individual contributions to air pollution that warms the planet.
Collectively, EVs play a huge role in ending our reliance on dirty energy that is a key contributor to extreme weather events. Battery improvements will be paramount to continuing the momentum.
The Cornell team was excited about the results of their bespoke solid-state electrolyte structure, but didn't just stop there. Leveraging scanning transmission electron microscopy they were able to understand why it worked.
"We eventually established a good understanding of why this structure is really good for ion transport, and why we get such a high conductivity with this material," Zhong said.
That understanding has them eyeing other areas like water purification for the material.
"Now in our group, we are working on the synthesis of different molecules, how we can assemble them and make a molecule with a different geometry, so we can expand all the possibilities to make new nanoporous materials," Zhong concluded.
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