Battery materials company's 'dual electrolyte' architecture can significantly improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries

According to foreign media reports, battery materials startup 24M announced that it has developed a 'dual electrolyte' architecture that can significantly improve the battery performance of electric vehicles.

Improving lithium-ion batteries has caused an effect similar to 'whack-a-mole, It may destroy another operating characteristic (such as cycle life).

However, the dual electrolyte developed by 24M may change this situation. This architecture allows different electrolytes to be placed on both sides of the battery’s cathode and anode. In this way, battery designers There is no need to let one electrolyte serve both sides, so that 24M can optimize the two electrolytes independently.

In the long run, this technology can make metal lithium-ion batteries a reality. The energy contained in each battery cell in metal lithium-ion batteries far exceeds that of the current market. Battery. However, the disadvantage of this type of battery design is that dendrites are easily formed on the anode side, which limits the battery life. Today, 24M can choose an anolyte to reduce the formation of dendrites, while choosing a catholyte to handle higher voltages.

According to reports, other battery methods such as solid-state batteries will take many years to achieve large-scale commercialization. However, 24M said it can apply its dual electrolyte design to its proprietary semi-solid electrolyte production line. In recent months, the company has built dozens of battery cells and tracked improvements in battery performance. Nevertheless, it will still take several years to achieve commercialization.

Electric vehicles need higher energy density to drive longer cruising range. According to battery data from WoodMackenzie, a world-renowned energy consulting company, today's batteries can provide 180 to 240 watt-hours of energy per kilogram. And 24M executives said that the dual-electrolyte structure of the battery can provide 350 watt-hours of energy per kilogram. And I believe that the structure can be improved to increase the battery energy to 450 or 500 watt-hours per kilogram, but the challenge is how to ensure that the architecture maintains sufficient performance during the battery cycle in order to function.

24M has signed a contract with an undisclosed international company to cooperate in the development and manufacture of special separators. If the initiative is successful, the dual electrolyte architecture may play a role in other applications that require energy density, such as personal electronics and the aerospace industry. The technology will not be limited to metallic lithium. Such chemicals ensure the highest energy density, but designers can use dual electrolytes to customize other properties of the battery, such as charging speed.