Substantially smaller and longer-lasting batteries for everything from portable electronic devices to electric cars could be come a reality thanks to an innovative technology developed by University of Waterloo researchers.
Zhongwei Chen, a chemical engineering professor at Waterloo, and a team of graduate students have created a low-cost battery using silicon that boosts the performance and life of lithium-ion batteries. Their findings are published in the latest issue of Nature Communications.
Waterloo’s silicon battery technology promises a 40 to 60 per cent increase in energy density, which is important for consumers with smartphones, smart homes and smart wearables.
The environmentally safe technology could also make dramatic improvements for hybrid and electric vehicles. The findings could mean an electric car may be driven up to 500 kilometres between charges and the smaller, lighter batteries may significantly reduce the overall weight of vehicles.
Current lithium-ion batteries normally use graphite anodes. The Waterloo engineers found that silicon anode materials have a much higher capacity for lithium and are capable of producing batteries with almost 10 times more energy.
“Graphite has long been used to build the negative electrodes in lithium-ion batteries,” said Professor Chen, the Canada Research Chair in Advanced Materials for Clean Energy and a member of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy. “But as batteries improve, graphite is slowly becoming a performance bottleneck because of the limited amount of energy that it can store.”
The most critical challenge the Waterloo researchers faced when they began producing batteries using silicon was the loss of energy that occurs when silicon contracts and then expands by as much as 300 per cent with each charge cycle. The resulting increase and decrease in silicon volume forms cracks that reduce battery performance, create short circuits, and eventually cause the battery to stop operating.
To overcome this problem, Professor Chen’s team along with the General Motors Global Research and Development Centre developed a flash heat treatment for fabricated silicon-based lithium-ion electrodes that minimizes volume expansion while boosting the performance and cycle capability of lithium-ion batteries.
“The economical flash heat treatment creates uniquely structured silicon anode materials that deliver extended cycle life to more than 2000 cycles with increased energy capacity of the battery,” said Professor Chen.
Read more: Waterloo researchers create technology to produce lighter, long-lasting batteries from silicon
The Latest on: Silicon anode
[google_news title=”” keyword=”silicon anode” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Silicon anode
- Milestone for silicon anode production facilityon May 16, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Silicon anode materials producer Nexeon has celebrated a ground-breaking ceremony for its first commercial production facility, based in Gunsan South Korea, a milestone that positions the company ...
- HPQ Silicon Affiliate Novacium Announces Its Gen 2 Advanced Silicon-Based Anode Material Delivers Superior Performanceon May 16, 2024 at 6:30 am
Preliminary testing results with Gen 2 material demonstrate a capability to improve performance by about 30% versus graphite benchmark and by 14% ...
- Ionic Mineral Technologies Announces Significant Production Facility Expansion in Provo, Utahon May 15, 2024 at 4:18 am
Ionic Mineral Technologies (Ionic MT), a pioneer in nano-silicon battery anode technology, proudly announces a major expansion of its production facility in Provo, Utah. This expansion underscores ...
- Silicon that holds 10x more lithium ions to power US Army’s wearable batteryon May 13, 2024 at 3:58 am
A California-based company is set to supply its silicone-anode batteries to complete the development and qualification for the US Army’s next-generation wearable battery pack. SiMaxx safe cells are ...
- This ultra-high density battery will power next-gen soldierson May 12, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The battery will be part of a new Amprius battery vest, which will use batteries with silicone anodes to give soldiers twice the energy storage as the current generation. The idea here is pretty ...
- Ultra-high density battery vests give next-gen soldiers twice the energyon May 12, 2024 at 1:00 am
Amprius began shipping its remarkable silicone-anode batteries in 2022, laying claim to the world's highest-density battery cells along the way. It's now focusing attention on a unique use case: a ...
- Enovix: Finally Some Traction In Business And Signs Of Successon May 3, 2024 at 2:09 am
Enovix develops silicon anode technology, which offers high electricity capacity and is ideal for products requiring longer battery life. See why ENVX stock is a Buy.
- Electric cars: Will silicon anodes be the next breakthrough?on May 2, 2024 at 6:05 am
There's further potential in improving battery cell anodes, which are mostly made with graphite. In its Taycan model, Porsche uses batteries five percent silicon in the anodes. Anodes made of pure ...
- Global Silicon-Based Anode Battery Market Size Is Expected to Reach $3.4 Billion By End of 2031on April 29, 2024 at 8:04 pm
Batteries made with silicon instead of graphite — the commonly used material in battery anodes today — have been shown to enable significantly higher energy density and faster charging.
- Posco completes new silicon anode material planton April 23, 2024 at 7:48 am
Its battery materials unit Posco Silicon Solution completed a silicon anode material plant in the Yeongil Bay industrial complex of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Friday. Silicon anode ...
via Bing News