Tag Archives: Lithium-Ion Batteries

News

Tech News : New Graphene-Based Batteries Could Be Fireproof & Safer

Los Angeles based Nanotech Energy claims to have developed a fireproof, graphene-based lithium-ion battery that could be safer for Electric Vehicles.

What Is Graphene?

Extracted from graphite, graphene is a single layer (monolayer) of carbon atoms, tightly bound in a two-dimensional, hexagonal honeycomb lattice nanostructure. First observed through electron microscopes in 1962, it was re-discovered in 2004 (although Nanotech says 2002). Graphene has exceptionally high tensile strength – 10 times that of steel, electrical conductivity, transparency, is the thinnest two-dimensional material in the world, and is the second-strongest material in the world (to Borophene).

What Causes Fires With Traditional Lithium-Ion Batteries?

Volume changes (expansion) of lithium-ion battery electrodes during charge and discharge can cause an internal short circuit, which can lead to a fire. Also, lithium-ion batteries can catch fire if they have been improperly manufactured or damaged, or if the software that operates the battery isn’t designed correctly. Lithium-ion batteries can sometimes also simply overheat during charging.

In the case of using lithium-ion batteries in EV’s, the use of organic liquid electrolytes (the battery’s most flammable component), which can be volatile and flammable when operating at high temperatures can increase the fire risk e.g., if a car-crash causes a chemical leakage.

How Is A Graphene-Based Battery Different?

The new graphene-based battery from Nanotech is reported to be different because:

– It has graphene electrodes i.e., the positive (cathode) and negative (anode) terminals. This helps the battery to withstand its volume changes during charge and discharge, thereby reducing the potential fire risk. Also, with graphene being a highly effective conductor of electricity, it can help the battery to keep a lower internal resistance and temperature, thereby helping to prevent overheating during charging.

– It uses a non-flammable, stable, and inexpensive proprietary electrolyte solution, called Organolyte™. A non-flammable electrolyte means a dramatically reduced fire risk.

– It has a new proprietary separator. The graphene battery electrodes must be separated by a material through which the ions transfer. Instead of using a typical polyolefin separator Nanotech Energy has developed a new separator material that improves stability and makes the battery safer.

Performance

In terms of performance, Nanotech reports that the battery retains more than 80 percent of its rated capacity through 1,400 cycles and can charge “18 times faster than anything that is currently available on the market”. The battery is also reported to be able to maintain performance at extreme temperatures (-40 to 140 degrees F), hold charge at temperatures as high as 350 degrees, and won’t catch fire if damaged with a nail or heated to more than 1,300 degrees.

Easy To Manufacture And Better For The Environment.

Other reported benefits of the new battery are that it doesn’t require exotic materials and can be relatively easily manufactured on existing equipment in various form factors (cylindrical, pouch, etc.). Also, Nanotech says that using graphene-based batteries could help develop more cost-efficient, environmentally friendly personal electronic devices to create a more efficient way to harness renewable energy.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

EV’s are the way forward for domestic and commercial transport, but one of the big challenges that EV manufactures have faced is developing a battery that requires infrequent charging, charges very quickly, is durable, can go a long way on a charge, and is safe. This new graphene-based battery certainly appears to address the safety, fast charging and durability issues, and the fact that it is relatively easy to manufacture using existing equipment (keeping costs down) is also a big bonus. This discovery could go some way to helping push the EV market forward if widely adopted, although initial production looks set to concentrate on the consumer electronics market rather than electric vehicles pending more testing time. This means that these batteries may not go into big commercial production for another year, and there are still other EV challenges to overcome, such as meeting the charging network demand.

News

Sustainability : 97% Cost Reduction For Lithium Batteries

With a recent study finding that the costs of producing lithium-ion battery technologies have fallen by about 97 per cent since their commercialisation three decades ago, we look at the reasons why, and the possible implications.

What Is A Lithium-Ion Battery?

A lithium-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery. The lithium ions in it move from the negative electrode through an electrolyte to the positive electrode during discharge, and back again when charging. Lithium-ion batteries have the advantages of being made small and yet having a relatively high ‘energy density’, a lower self-discharge rate than other battery types and are a low-maintenance battery. This makes them ideal for providing portable electricity and powering many of our favourite electronic business gadgets (e.g. mobile phones, laptops, and tablets). They are also now helping to enable the electrification of cars and buses and are beginning to support the integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity grid.

Cost Decline – Study In March

A previous study in March this year found that since their introduction in 1991, the cost of lithium-ion batteries had fallen at a comparable rate to that of solar photovoltaic panels. This rate of cost decrease for solar panels was thought to be exceptional, but the story of lithium-ion batteries has proved this to be wrong.

New Study – The Reasons For The Rapid Decline in Costs

The latest study, the results of which are published in the Journal Energy and Environmental Science (Micah Ziegler, Juhyun Song PhD, Jessika Trancik) show a 97 per cent reduction in the cost of lithium-ion technologies over the last three decades. The authors of the report suggest that the main reasons for the substantial cost reduction include:

– Greater efforts to increase charge density between the late 1990s and early 2010s (38 per cent cost reduction).

– Reductions in cathode materials prices (18 per cent of the cost reduction).

– Changes in non-material costs (14 per cent of the cost decline).

– A large reduction in costly public and private research and development, which accounted for the majority of the observed cost reduction. Most of the R&D contribution can be attributed to advancements in chemistry and materials science.

– Learning-by-doing, and economies of scale.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

This massive reduction in the cost of lithium-ion battery technologies, mainly brought about by a reduction in R&D costs, has certainly benefitted organisations in terms of powering the various, ever-more compact devices used daily for work on the go. The cost reduction has also helped the growth of sales of electric vehicles and the general ongoing electrification of transportation.

In terms of the environment, reduced costs associated with electrochemical energy storage technologies may be helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing lithium-ion battery usage in stationary applications, helping to compensate for the intermittent supply of clean energy like solar and wind. This is enabling the growth of renewable energy technologies.  Cheaper electrochemical energy storage technologies (like lithium-ion batteries), therefore, is a factor that’s playing an increasingly important role in helping to tackle climate-change and move other green technologies forward.