The breakthrough of Tesla battery research team can prolong the life of anodic-free battery.

Published: Sep 17, 2020 16:41

SMM: it is reported that the Tesla Canadian battery research team led by Jeff Dahn is about to develop a new generation of batteries with transformative battery density. In a paper, the team proposed how to use electrolyte solution to solve the failure problem of anodic battery.

The paper is entitled "diagnosing and correcting the failure of anode-free batteries by electrolyte and morphological analysis." The battery team says some anodic-free batteries can store more energy per unit volume than traditional lithium-ion batteries, which is critical to improving the range of electric vehicles. In addition, anodic-free batteries are lighter than traditional batteries.

However, with the increase of energy storage capacity, non-anode battery also has some disadvantages. One of them is the rapid loss of battery capacity and short cycle life. In addition, the anodic-free battery also has safety problems, and its internal lithium metal also has safety risks.

However, Dahn and his team suggest that the use of bicarbonate electrolyte solutions can alleviate battery degradation and extend the life of anodic-free batteries.

The team said: "recently, we have realized long-life anodic-free batteries using double-salt carbonate electrolytes, and we have used this liquid electrolyte to characterize the degradation of anodic-free batteries. The deterioration of the original lithium morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope and X-ray tomography, and the causes of electrolyte degradation and depletion were diagnosed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and ultrasonic transmission. In order to test the safety, we also measured the temperature of the battery in the acupuncture test. "

When the Dahn team used bicarbonate electrolyte solution in the battery, there was an inactive lithium mixture that could form a large lithium column in the battery, creating an ideal lithium form inside the battery, thus solving the problem of short battery life.

Prior to this, Tesla applied for a patent for an electrolyte solution that can extend the battery life when added to the lithium-ion battery. (Tesla applies for a patent for lithium metal / anodic battery electrolyte to improve battery capacity.)

The optimized electrolyte successfully extended the service life of the anodic-free battery to 200 charge-discharge cycles, after Stanford University conducted an experiment on the anodic-free battery in June and found that the capacity of the battery dropped to 80% after 100 runs.

Extending battery life will eventually allow electric vehicles to be equipped with more durable batteries. Tesla has also been working on a battery with a life of up to several million miles, which is likely to be unveiled on Tesla Battery Day on Sept. 22.

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The breakthrough of Tesla battery research team can prolong the life of anodic-free battery. - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)