Scientists and engineers at the US-based Argonne Technology Research Center say they have developed a new battery which they say has four times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries.
Researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory say the new battery could power an electric vehicle for more than 1,000 miles and could one day be used to power domestic and long-haul aircraft. trucks.
The main component of this lithium-air battery is a solid electrolyte instead of the usual liquid.
Battery chemistry with solid electrolyte can potentially increase energy density up to four times compared to lithium-ion batteries, resulting in longer run time.
Argonne in a statement.
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More stored electrons means higher energy density.
Argonne Fellow Emeritus Larry Curtiss says the lithium-air battery has the highest predicted energy density of any battery technology being considered for the next generation of batteries beyond lithium-ion.
For more than a decade, scientists at Argonne and elsewhere have worked tirelessly to develop a lithium battery that harnesses oxygen from the air.
Larry Curtis
According to Argonne, in earlier lithium-air designs, lithium from a lithium metal anode travels through a liquid electrolyte to combine with oxygen during discharge, producing lithium peroxide (Li2O2) or superoxide ( LiO2) at the cathode.
Lithium peroxide or superoxide breaks down into its components lithium and oxygen during charging. This chemical sequence stores and releases energy on demand.
Argonne says the new solid electrolyte is made of a ceramic polymer material made from relatively inexpensive elements in the form of nanoparticles. This new solid enables chemical reactions that produce lithium oxide (Li2O) in the landfill.
The chemical reaction of lithium superoxide or peroxide involves only one or two stored electrons per molecule of oxygen, while that of lithium oxide involves four electrons.
Rachid Amin.
Argonne claims the new lithium-air design is the first lithium-air battery to achieve a four-electron reaction at room temperature. In addition, it works with oxygen provided by the ambient air.
The ability to run on air obviates the need for oxygen tanks to run, which Argonne says was a problem with earlier designs.
With further development, we expect our new lithium-air battery design to also achieve a record power density of 1,200 watt-hours per kilogram. That’s almost four times better than lithium-ion batteries.
Larry Curtis
For comparison, Tesla’s new 4680 cells have an energy density of 272-296 Wh/kg, which is considered very high by today’s standards. With 4 times the density, the new cells would open up all sorts of possibilities, including aircraft capable of flying more than 1,000 km on a single charge.
Via www.anl.gov
