Safe and energy-efficient quasi-solid battery for electric vehicles and devices
Researchers develop a quasi-solid-state lithium-ion battery with improved stability, safety, and longevity
Doshisha University
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Researchers from Doshisha University, Japan, develop a novel quasi-solid-state lithium-ion battery (LIB) with non-flammable solid and liquid electrolytes. The battery has higher ionic conductivity, improved cycle performance, and better safety than conventional LIBs.
view moreCredit: Ryosuke Kido from Doshisha University
Technological advances have led to the widespread use of electric devices and vehicles. These innovations are not only convenient but also environmentally friendly, offering an alternative to polluting fuel-driven machines. Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in electrical appliances and vehicles. Commercial LIBs comprise an organic electrolyte solution, which is considered indispensable to make them energy efficient. However, ensuring safety becomes a concern and may be difficult to achieve with the rising market demand.
While solid-state batteries can help mitigate safety issues, the interface between solid electrodes and the electrolyte is not conducive to optimum lithium-ion transfer. Moreover, the expansion and shrinkage of solid electrodes can disrupt the joint interface and hamper ion transfer. Therefore, there is a need to develop efficient solid-state batteries with a stable joint interface that can enhance their safety, utility, and performance.
To overcome these challenges, a team of researchers from Japan has developed a non-flammable quasi-solid-state LIB that can overcome the limitations of conventional batteries. The study was led by Ryosuke Kido from Doshisha University and TDK Corporation, Japan, Professor Minoru Inaba and Professor Takayuki Doi from Doshisha University, and Atsushi Sano from TDK Corporation and their findings were published online on 11 October 2024, in the Journal of Energy Storage. It has also been published in the Volume 102 on 15 November 2024.
Giving further insight into their work, Mr. Kido the main author of the paper, says, “Increasing the capacity of positive and negative electrode active materials to achieve higher energy density reduces cycle performance and safety. The flame-retardant quasi-solid-state battery we developed, combining a liquid electrolyte and a solid electrolyte, provides a safer and more durable alternative to all-solid-state batteries with high energy density.”
The new battery design includes a silicon (Si) negative electrode and a LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) positive electrode, which is considered next-generation materials for LIBs. These electrodes are separated by a solid lithium-ion conducting glass ceramic sheet (LICGC™) from OHARA. To enhance compatibility and performance, the researchers developed non-flammable, nearly saturated electrolyte solutions tailored to each electrode. The solutions used tris(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) phosphate and methyl 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl carbonate, which were compatible with the electrodes and the solid electrolyte interface. The resulting 30 mAh-class quasi-solid-state pouch cells demonstrated excellent ionic conductivity, thermal stability, and electrochemical performance.
The researchers went on to assess the thermal stability and electrochemical performance of the quasi-solid-state LIB using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, charge-discharge tests, and accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC). Notably, the battery demonstrated high charge/discharge capacity with good cycle performance and little change in the internal resistance. Moreover, the ARC test revealed that the Si-LICGC-NCM811 structure with the respective electrolyte solutions showed improved thermal stability and that the heat generation associated with the side reaction was very low even in the high-temperature range of around 150 °C.
Overall, the newly developed LIB has the potential to enhance the development of efficient and safer next-generation electric vehicles and cordless appliances like drones. Its widespread application can not only improve user convenience but also promote sustainable economic growth.
Mr. Kido concludes with the long-term implications of their work by saying, “As the world moves toward carbon neutrality, electric vehicles have been gaining significant attention in recent years. It is vital to develop highly safe automotive batteries with extended lifespans. The quasi-solid-state battery from our study has the potential to improve the longevity of liquid-based LIBs and enhance energy density while maintaining the safety of all-solid-state batteries.”
The study represents a step toward developing next-generation energy storage solutions that balance safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
About Ryosuke Kido from Doshisha University, Japan
Mr. Ryosuke Kido is a second-year doctoral fellow at the Faculty of Science and Engineering Department of Molecular Chemistry and Biochemistry, Doshisha University, Japan. His doctoral work is in collaboration with the Cell Engineering Section, Japan Battery Division, Energy Devices Business Group, TDK Corporation, Japan.
About Professor Takayuki Doi from Doshisha University, Japan
Takayuki Doi obtained his Ph.D. in Engineering from Kyoto University, Japan, in 2005. He joined Doshisha University, Japan, as an Associate Professor in 2013 and was promoted to full Professor in 2020. He specializes in material science, with a focus on nanomaterials, energy chemistry, inorganic compounds, and battery science. He has published over 130 papers on these topics.
Funding information
This research was partially supported by “Advanced Research Program for Energy and Environmental Technologies” from New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan.
Journal
Journal of Energy Storage
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Highly safe quasi-solid-state lithium ion batteries with two kinds of nearly saturated and non-flammable electrolyte solutions
Sodium-ion batteries need breakthroughs to compete
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Artist's rendering.
view moreCredit: JNim Gensheimer
Legions of battery engineers and their supporters have sought for years to build batteries cheaper than the dominant lithium-ion technology, hoping to capture some of lithium-ion’s $50 billion-a-year and growing market. The latest darling contender among researchers, startups, and venture capitalists – sodium-ion batteries – has received much attention after COVID-induced mineral supply chain challenges sent lithium prices on a wild ride. Still, achieving a low-cost contender may be several years away for sodium-ion batteries and will require a set of technology advances and favorable market conditions, according to a new study in Nature Energy.
Sodium-ion batteries are often assumed to have lower costs and more resilient supply chains compared to lithium-ion batteries. Despite much potential, sodium-ion batteries still face an uphill struggle. The amount of energy they hold per pound tends to be lower than lithium-ion batteries. So, possible lower materials prices aside, the cost per unit of energy stored remains higher for sodium-ion batteries. This likely would limit widespread commercial adoption – unless research breakthroughs can be made first. The most fertile areas for advancement are highlighted in the study, the first by a new partnership between the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s Precourt Institute for Energy and the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center. The new program, STEER, assesses the technological and economic potential of emerging energy technologies and advises “what to build, where to innovate, and how to invest” for the energy transition. The new study evaluated more than 6,000 scenarios to test the robustness of their roadmaps for sodium-ion battery’s competitive potential.
“The price of lithium-ion batteries rose for the first time in 2022, which set off alarms for potentially needing an alternative. Sodium-ion is perhaps the most compelling near-term challenger to lithium-ion, and many battery companies announced plans of major build out of sodium-ion manufacturing, promising pathways to lower prices than the incumbent,” said Adrian Yao, the study’s lead author as well as the founder and team lead of STEER, which began in October 2023 with the support of three offices within the U.S. Department of Energy.
“We recognized that if, when, and how sodium-ion batteries might undercut lithium-ion on price was largely speculative, especially given that the price of lithium-ion continues to fall,” said Yao, a doctoral candidate who returned to academia after eight years of being the founder and chief technology officer of a lithium-ion battery startup now producing its batteries on a large, commercial scale.
Yao’s PhD co-advisors are the new study’s senior authors and the co-directors of STEER: Sally Benson, the Precourt Family Professor in the Department of Energy Science & Engineering in the Doerr School of Sustainability; and William Chueh, an associate professor of materials science in the School of Engineering, of photon science at SLAC, and of energy science and engineering in the Doerr School.
“This sodium-ion study was the perfect undertaking to launch STEER as a new way to guide research and investment toward the technology roadmaps most worthy of pursuit and, perhaps more important, away from ones unlikely to be successful,” Benson said.
Do’s and don’ts for sodium-ion
To compete on price, specifically against a low-cost variant of the lithium-ion battery known as lithium-iron-phosphate, the study highlights several key routes for sodium-ion battery developers. Most important is to increase energy densities without the use of critical minerals. Specifically, developers should target lithium-iron-phosphate energy densities while moving away from nickel. Currently, most leading sodium-ion designs rely on the relatively expensive metal.
“Our primary objective, though, was not predicting specific years for when we expect price parity, but in surfacing the impacts of various market scenarios on the viability of competing technologies,” said Chueh.
“As technologists and investors, we cannot assume that economies-of-scale will always send prices plummeting once a device reaches commercial production. Yes, there will be a learning curve, but here we quantify this curve and show that it isn’t enough on its own,” said Chueh, who is also the director of the Precourt Institute for Energy. “Engineering advances will likely do much more to cut sodium-ion battery costs than simply scaling production.”
Such advances and new battery chemistries generally are worth pursuing, the researchers said. The Deparment of Energy’s 2022 energy storage supply chain analysis notes that diversifying technologies for grid energy storage systems could increase the resiliency of the overall supply chain. Continuing to rely so heavily on lithium-ion batteries as more energy storage is needed for the global transition to sustainable energy will pose security, economic, and geopolitical risks. For example, the study simulates how the competitiveness of sodium-ion would be accelerated if supply shocks were to occur to graphite – a critical material used in lithium-ion batteries where China controls more than 90% of the global supply. In fact, on Dec. 3, 2024 China began to significantly restrict exports of graphite to the United States, while also banning exports of three other critical minerals.
The study also identifies market forces and supply chain conditions that could hurt sodium-ion’s competition with lithium-ion. For example, if lithium prices continue where they are today near historic lows, sodium-ion has a narrower set of technology routes to become price advantageous in the next decade.
“One key thing we learned from industry practitioners is that while battery cell prices are important, technologies only succeed at the systems level, say an electric vehicle or a grid-scale battery energy storage system. That’s why we’re now expanding our scope to provide more holistic perspectives, including understanding the cost of safety and other systems considerations,” said Yao.
Up next
STEER has begun to apply its approach to other technology areas. Its researchers are examining the supply chain of the previously mentioned and often overlooked critical mineral: graphite. Industry executives and Department of Energy leaders advised on the right questions to ask and answer at a roundtable in Washington, D.C. in September. The workshop included more than 40 industry organizations, stitching together the value chain from mining companies to car makers, as well as every graphite manufacturer with funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“STEER is able to identify paths with the highest chances of contributing to the energy transition and those likely to lead nowhere thanks to our collaborators in industry, government, and other research institutions,” said Benson. “Our team combines commercial deployment experience, technology roadmapping, and systems thinking.”
The STEER team also plans to analyze technology roadmaps in long-duration energy storage, as well as other energy transition areas such as hydrogen and industrial decarbonization.
Journal
Nature Energy
Method of Research
Systematic review
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Critically assessing sodium-ion technology roadmaps and scenarios for techno-economic competitiveness against lithium-ion batteries
Article Publication Date
13-Jan-2025
COI Statement
Adrian Yao is among the founders of EnPower, a manufacturer of Li-ion batteries. William Chueh is among the founders of Mitra Chem, a developer of LFP cathode materials. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.
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