The Room Temperature Ionic Liquid (RTIL) electrolytes developed by CSIRO, RMIT and Queensland University of Technology may hold the key to solving electric car “battery range anxiety”.
The next generation of rechargeable lithium batteries set to disrupt the electric vehicle industry may soon be here, thanks to the humble salt bath.
CSIRO scientists, in collaboration with RMIT University and QUT, have demonstrated that pre-treating a battery’s lithium metal electrodes with an electrolyte salt solution extends the battery life and increases performance and safety.
The research was published in Nature Communications.
The simple method is set to accelerate the development of next-gen energy storage solutions and overcome the issue of ‘battery range anxiety’ that is currently a barrier in the electric car industry.
The technology has the potential to improve electric vehicle drive range and battery charge to a point where electric vehicles will soon be competitive with traditional petrol vehicles.
CSIRO battery researcher Dr Adam Best said the pre-treated lithium metal electrodes could potentially outperform other batteries currently on the market.
“Our research has shown by pre-treating lithium metal electrodes, we can create batteries with charge efficiency that greatly exceeds standard lithium batteries,” Dr Best said.
The pre-treatment process involves the immersion of lithium metal electrodes in an electrolyte bath containing a mixture of ionic liquids and lithium salts, prior to a battery being assembled.
Ionic liquids or room temperature molten salts, are a unique class of material that are clear, colourless, odourless solutions and are non-flammable.
When used in batteries these materials can prevent the risk of fire and explosion, a known rechargeable battery issue.
The salt bath pre-treatment adds a protective film onto the surface of the electrode that helps stabilise the battery when in operation.
“The pre-treatment reduces the breakdown of electrolytes during operation, which is what determines the battery’s increased performance and lifetime,” Dr Best said.
Batteries that have undergone the process can also spend up to one year on the shelf without loss of performance.
QUT researcher Assoc. Prof. Anthony O’Mullane said the method can be easily adopted by manufacturers.
“The pre-treatment process is readily transferrable to existing manufacturing processes,” Assoc. Prof. O’Mullane said.
The electrolyte salt solutions, to which CSIRO holds patents, come in a range of chemical compositions.
The research formed part of Dr Andrew Basile’s doctoral thesis with RMIT University, working closely with CSIRO scientist Dr Anand Bhatt to investigate battery processes occurring at lithium metal.
The team of scientists is currently developing batteries based on this technology, and are looking for partners to help bring these materials and devices to market.
Learn more: Salt baths boost next gen batteries for electric cars
The Latest on: Lithium batteries
via Google News
The Latest on: Lithium batteries
- Neometals has bagged an MoU for battery reccycling with Japanese giant Itochuon March 4, 2021 at 5:05 pm
Perth-based lithium-ion battery stock Neometals (ASX:NMT) announced that Primobius, its 50-50 joint venture with German-based SMS Group, has signed an ... Read More The post Neometals has bagged an ...
- Chile´s SQM posts record lithium sales, sees major hydroxide expansionon March 4, 2021 at 4:43 pm
Chilean miner SQM, the world's No. 2 producer of lithium posted record lithium sales in the last quarter of 2020, although floundering prices for the ultralight metal continued to weigh on the ...
- Gigafactory Demand Leads To Price Explosion In Battery-Grade Lithiumon March 4, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Domestic Chinese battery-grade lithium carbonate prices assessed by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence are on a tear in 2021 after bottoming out in the second half of last year, following a lengthy slump ...
- Federal government is warning not to buy, use, or even throw away loose lithium-ion battery cellson March 4, 2021 at 11:29 am
These cells are manufactured as industrial component parts of battery packs and are not intended for individual sale to consumers, according to a commission press release.
- Decoupling the origins of irreversible coulombic efficiency in anode-free lithium metal batterieson March 4, 2021 at 9:23 am
Anode-free lithium metal battery is one of the most promising candidates for next-generation high energy density battery but suffer from poor cycle life. Here the authors present an integrated ...
- Attractive Opportunities in the Lithium-Ion Battery Marketon March 4, 2021 at 9:11 am
The global lithium-ion battery market size is estimated to grow from USD 44.2 billion in 2020 to USD 94.4 billion by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.4%. The growth of this market is ...
- Bilia company Ecris receives the award This year’s innovation for its method to recylce lithium-ion batterieson March 3, 2021 at 11:56 pm
Ecris is a company within the Bilia family and a part of Bilia Reuse, which develops methods for vehicle recycling. The company is a world leading player in its niche when it comes to the ...
- Chemists develop a new technology to prevent lithium-ion batteries from catching fireon March 3, 2021 at 10:05 am
Lithium-ion battery fire hazards are extensive worldwide and such failure can have a severe implication for both smartphones and electric cars, says the head of the group and Professor in the ...
- Not all Lithium Batteries Are Created Equal: Sealed, Safe & Socially Responsibleon March 2, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Advances in battery technology and the electrification of the material handling market has contributed enormously to the changing industry landscape. It’s pretty obvious that highly corrosive, hazardo ...
- A fluid solution to dendrite growth in lithium metal batterieson March 2, 2021 at 10:53 am
Lithium metal batteries have higher charge density than conventional lithium ion batteries but are prone to problems of tree-like metal dendrites, which can cause short circuits or explosions. A new ...
via Bing News