Researchers have managed to demonstrate a way to successfully implement lithium-metal batteries, solving a 40-year old conundrum and paving a way for more efficient electric cars in the future that could not only charge faster but also have a longer life overall.?
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Lithium metal batteries are capable of holding way more energy and charge relatively quicker than the lithium-ion batteries that are seen in electric cars today. And while the technology has existed for a while it hasn¡¯t been the most stable.?
However, now, researchers at Harvard University¡¯s School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), have figured out a way to charge and discharge lithium metal batteries at least 10,000 times. While this might not sound like a big thing, it¡¯s actually groundbreaking as this would allow for the lifetime of electric vehicles to increase considerably -- much more than gasoline cars, while also increasing their overall range and charge time.?
Xin Li, an associate professor at SEAS explains, ¡°A lithium-metal battery is considered the holy grail for battery chemistry because of its high capacity and energy density. But the stability of these batteries has always been poor. Our research shows that the solid-state battery could be fundamentally different from the commercial liquid electrolyte lithium-ion battery. By studying their fundamental thermodynamics, we can unlock superior performance and harness their abundant opportunities.¡±
This was made possible through a novel multi-layer approach to assemble the battery that allowed it to be self-healing and overcome its biggest drawback -- degradation caused by dendrites.
According to the researchers, the first electrolyte in the battery sandwich is more stable with lithium but prone to dendrite penetration. The second electrolyte is less stable with lithium but is immune to dendrites. With this structure, dendrites continue to grow through the graphite and first electrolyte but can't surpass the second one.?
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Researchers are of the belief that this current proof of concept can soon be developed commercially to bridge the gap the electric automobile industry is currently facing.?
Li added, ¡°This proof-of-concept design shows that lithium-metal solid-state batteries could be competitive with commercial lithium-ion batteries. And the flexibility and versatility of our multilayer design makes it potentially compatible with mass production procedures in the battery industry. Scaling it up to the commercial battery won¡¯t be easy and there are still some practical challenges, but we believe they will be overcome.¡±