Ultrasound device improves charge time and run time in lithium batteries
The device brings lithium metal batteries one step closer to commercial viability
Researchers at the University of California San Diego developed an ultrasound-emitting device that brings lithium metal batteries, or LMBs, one step closer to commercial viability. Although the research team focused on LMBs, the device can be used in any battery, regardless of chemistry.
The device that the researchers developed is an integral part of the battery and works by emitting ultrasound waves to create a circulating current in the electrolyte liquid found between the anode and cathode. This prevents the formation of lithium metal growths, called dendrites, during charging that lead to decreased performance and short circuits in LMBs.
The device is made from off-the-shelf smartphone components, which generate sound waves at extremely high frequencies—ranging from 100 million to 10 billion hertz. In phones, these devices are used mainly to filter the wireless cellular signal and identify and filter voice calls and data. Researchers used them instead to generate a flow within the battery’s electrolyte.
“Advances in smartphone technology are truly what allowed us to use ultrasound to improve battery technology,” said James Friend, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego and the study’s corresponding author.
Currently, LMBs have not been considered a viable option to power everything from electric vehicles to electronics because their lifespan is too short. But these batteries also have twice the capacity of today’s best lithium ion batteries. For example, lithium metal-powered electric vehicles would have twice the range of lithium ion powered vehicles, for the same battery weight.
Researchers showed that a lithium metal battery equipped with the device could be charged and discharged for 250 cycles and a lithium ion battery for more than 2000 cycles. The batteries were charged from zero to 100 percent in 10 minutes for each cycle.
“This work allows for fast-charging and high energy batteries all in one,” said Ping Liu, professor of nanoengineering at the Jacobs School and the paper’s other senior author. “It is exciting and effective.”
The team details their work in the Feb. 18 online issue of the journal Advanced Materials.
Most battery research efforts focus on finding the perfect chemistry to develop batteries that last longer and charge faster, Liu said. By contrast, the UC San Diego team sought to solve a fundamental issue: the fact that in traditional metal batteries, the electrolyte liquid between the cathode and anode is static. As a result, when the battery charges, the lithium ion in the electrolyte is depleted, making it more likely that lithium will deposit unevenly on the anode. This in turn causes the development of needle-like structures called dendrites that can grow unchecked from the anode towards the cathode, causing the battery to short circuit and even catch fire. Rapid charging speeds this phenomenon up.
By propagating ultrasound waves through the battery, the device causes the electrolyte to flow, replenishing the lithium in the electrolyte and making it more likely that the lithium will form uniform, dense deposits on the anode during charging.
The most difficult part of the process was designing the device, said An Huang, the paper’s first author and a Ph.D. student in materials science at UC San Diego. The challenge was working at extremely small scales, understanding the physical phenomena involved and finding an effective way to integrate the device inside the battery.
“Our next step will be to integrate this technology into commercial lithium ion batteries,” said Haodong Liu, the paper’s co-author and a nanoengineering postdoctoral researcher at the Jacobs School.
The technology has been licensed from UC San Diego by Matter Labs, a technology development firm based in Ventura, Calif. The license is not exclusive.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Lithium metal batteries
- Lithium iron phosphate comes to America
Our Next Energy hopes to combine a primary LFP battery suitable for everyday use with a small lithium-metal battery that could boost a car’s range when needed. Lithium-metal batteries carry more ...
- ASU startup scores funding from Shell for fire-safe lithium-ion battery research
ASU’s technology transfer partner, SkySong Innovations, facilitated the commercialization and patent process for Safe-Li’s battery technology. #phoenix ...
- Scientists Find the Holy Grail: the Reason Why Lithium-Metal Batteries Fail
Scientists finally discovered why lithium-metal batteries fail. We always knew they’d power the EV revolution, as long as we learned why they short circuit.
- Cracking the short-circuit mystery in lithium-metal batteries
Lithium-metal batteries with solid electrolytes are lightweight, inflammable, pack a lot of energy and can be recharged very quickly, but they have been slow to develop due to mysterious short ...
- Lithium-Sulfur Battery Market 2023 Strong Research Methodology by Top Players with Driving Forces till 2029 [ NEW REPORT ]
Feb 02, 2023 (The Expresswire) -- " Lithium-Sulfur Battery Market " Research Insights Report 2023 | Latest Report Spread Across [ 111 Pages ] Lithium-Sulfur Battery Market Detailed Analysis of ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Lithium metal batteries
[google_news title=”” keyword=”lithium metal batteries” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Lithium ion battery
- Lithium iron phosphate comes to America
After initially snubbing the chemistry, several big carmakers are now turning to LFP as a way to cut lithium- ion battery costs. Ford, Rivian, and Volkswagen have all unveiled plans to use LFP ...
- ASU startup scores funding from Shell for fire-safe lithium-ion battery research
ASU’s technology transfer partner, SkySong Innovations, facilitated the commercialization and patent process for Safe-Li’s battery technology. #phoenix ...
- Lithium-Ion Battery Market Size 2023 With Presentation Outlook, Horizontal Viewpoint, Global View Forecast 2028, Report Contains (100) Pages
Pages. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Lithium-Ion Battery market size is estimated to be worth USD million in 2022 and is forecast to a read ...
- Lithium-ion Battery Reuse Market 2023 is Dynamic & Changing - Trends, Technology, and Opportunities
A comprehensive research on Lithium-ion Battery Reuse Market Overview 2023-2028. It displays the market size and CAGR ...
- Lithium-Ion Battery Market Worth USD 193.13 Billion by 2028 | Fortune Business Insights
Pune, India, Feb. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to latest report published by Fortune Business Insights, the global Lithium-Ion Battery market size was valued USD 36.90 billion in 2020 ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Lithium ion battery
[google_news title=”” keyword=”lithium ion battery” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]