A South Korean team of battery experts is rolling out an anode manufacturing process that negates common — and sometimes explosive — problems with emerging cell types, according to a news release.
The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology team is developing emerging lithium-sulfur, or Li-S, batteries with a solid electrolyte that includes a uniquely made anode. It could become a gold-standard setup that boosts electric vehicle performance, partly because gold is included in the work, per the report.
When batteries operate, ions travel between the anode and cathode through a substance called an electrolyte. Solid-state packs, which have a firm electrolyte, are reported by Top Speed to be lighter, safer, and last longer than liquids.
The team aims to extinguish rare, yet serious, anode-associated fire risks with a roll-based transfer printing method that replaces the typical solvent technique. The substances can damage parts of the pack during production. The new way could make better power storers for long-range EVs — with 10 times the theoretical capacity of traditional packs, per Interesting Engineering and the release.
"This study combines novel protective materials and a scalable transfer printing process to overcome the critical challenges," research team lead Jungdon Suk said.
The rollers resemble a lineup of old clothes wringers, judging by a rendering shared in the release. They add protective layers of polymer, ceramic, alumina, and gold to lithium metal, which replaces graphite in emerging lithium-sulfur battery anodes.
Li-S packs are a lithium-ion alternative being developed in Australia and elsewhere because of superior energy density, or the amount of power that can be stored per pound. Hours-long charge/discharge cycles have been among hurdles for the tech, according to AzoNano and the University of Adelaide, which wasn't involved with the Korean project.
KRICT's setup solves key performance issues such as protection from troublesome dendrites. The metal, branch-like structures sometimes cause catastrophic failure after forming during operation, according to the release.
The protective layers are laminated by pressure onto the ultra-thin anode. In the release, the team calls the process a novel approach that showed promising results during testing.
Protected pouch-cell prototypes held an 81.5% capacity retention after 100 charge/discharge sessions. It surpassed "bare lithium cells" in other key performance metrics, too. The pack served well under intense nine-minute discharge tests, all per the lab summary.
TCD Picks » Stasher Spotlight
💡Stasher's reusable food storage options make it easy and affordable to live life with less plastic
|
Would you be more likely to get an EV if it helped cut your energy costs? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Big time 👍 "This represents one of the most practical solutions for enabling high-energy-density lithium-metal batteries and could boost Korea's competitiveness in the global battery industry," KRICT President Young-Kuk Lee said.
Better batteries are helping to boost EV adoption worldwide. About 17 million cars sold globally last year were electric, a 25% increase, according to the International Energy Agency.
Each EV that replaces a gas-burning ride prevents thousands of pounds of heat-trapping air pollution, per U.S. Department of Energy data. Tailpipe exhaust is linked by government-cited studies to numerous health risks, including cancer.
Stateside, valuable tax breaks worth up to $7,500 expire on Sept. 30. Switching soon can secure the credits, as well as a cleaner ride that can save you around $1,500 annually in gas and service costs.
Solar panels add to the value by providing free, sun-based electricity to charge the EV. EnergySage is a trusted source that can help you secure incentives and find an installer, saving you up to $10,000. The spending bill also sunsets solar tax breaks early, at year's end. So, acting quickly is paramount to redeeming the most savings.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
