‘This research will provide new directions’
Reining in overactive oxygen could be key to unlocking the potential for battery tech that delivers impressive energy retention and durability, according to a lab summary published by Tech Xplore.
The research involves common lithium-ion packs, which are pivotal to energizing our electric vehicles and other devices, as well as for storing intermittent renewable energy. The findings could help future packs hold more electricity for longer stretches of time, according to the team’s report.
The breakthrough was led by researchers at South Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology as experts were working on a lithium-rich layered oxide material. It’s considered a next-generation cathode substance for lithium-ion batteries, per the summary.
The cathode is one of two electrodes in a power pack. When a battery cycles, ions move between the anode and cathode through a substance called electrolyte, per the U.S. Department of Energy.
Using lithium-rich layered oxide, or LLO, as the cathode material has been found to increase energy density by up to 20% over common nickel-based versions, the summary stated. Energy density is the amount of electricity the pack can store per pound.
The LLO adds lithium and manganese while reducing nickel and cobalt content, making the component more “economical and sustainable,” per the researchers.
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However, there’s a big “but” surrounding the chemistry. Packs with this type of cathode typically experience capacity fading and voltage decay, which has “hindered its commercial viability,” the experts wrote.
The reason has been hard to pin down. The Pohang team decided to turn their attention to the electrolyte, and the release of oxygen that happens where the substance interfaces with the cathode. As a result, they boosted the electrolyte composition, reinforcing the interface. This resulted in reduced oxygen flight, per the research report.
“By tailoring surface reconstruction pathways, we control the overall phase and electrochemistry evolution mechanisms,” the team said in an abstract published by Energy & Environmental Science.
The work garnered impressive results. The enhanced electrolyte had an 84.3% energy retention rate after 700 charge/discharge cycles. Traditional versions typically produce a 37.1% retention rate after 300 cycles, all according to the summary.
The Pohang team is not alone in its impressive battery innovations. Plenty of them are happening in Korea. A pack that can extinguish its own fires is being developed by a team at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, as another example.
Safety, reduced cost, and improved performance are common goals. Success is crucial to expanding use of cleaner battery-powered tech, now prevalent in our backyards and on our highways.
By switching to electric yard tools, for example, you can enjoy a quieter, exhaust-free work day while limiting production of heat-trapping air pollution. The fumes are linked by U.S. government medical experts to increased risks for lung, heart, and other health problems.
The Pohang team’s findings could soon help to power more of the cleaner tech, as the research also delivered stability, increasing the cathode’s lifespan and performance, according to the summary.
“We believe this research will provide new directions for developing next-generation cathode materials,” Professor Jihyun Hong said, per Tech Xplore.
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