New cathode coating may solve two major problems of lithium batteries
According to media reports, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory recently announced that scientists in the laboratory have developed a new cathode coating using oxidative chemical vapor deposition technology that can solve several potential lithium-ion batteries. problem.
Compared with the traditional coating that protects the outer surface of the cathode particles, this so-called PEDOT coating has the ability to penetrate into the cathode particles and adds an additional shielding layer.
'The new coating is expected to be on the market in the next few years.' said Khalil Amine, a famous researcher and battery scientist at Argonne National Laboratory.
According to the survey of IHS Markit, the global energy storage market is growing, and it is estimated that 4.3GW of installed capacity will be deployed this year. The new coating developed by scientists can solve some of the main problems faced by lithium-ion battery technology: energy density and safety.
Last month, an explosion occurred at a public service battery plant in Arizona. Four firefighters were injured and sent to the hospital for treatment. This incident highlighted people’s concerns about battery safety. Worry.
The Argonne National Laboratory stated in a press release that after two years of research and optimization, the cathode coating can prevent chemical reactions between battery electrolytes, and at the same time Allow other components of the battery to work without interference.
'This coating is very friendly to all the processes and chemical processes that make the battery work, and can effectively deal with reactions that may cause battery degradation or failure. We found this The coating can actually kill two birds with one stone.' said Guiliang Xu, a chemical expert at Argonne National Laboratory. He expects this coating will be available in the next few years.
Argonne National Laboratory stated in an email that by increasing the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, the new cathode coating (called PEDOT) is expected to reduce the overall cost of the battery , So as to achieve mass production and deployment. He also pointed out that battery scientists may expand the scope of application of this coating, such as for nickel-rich nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries.
'We found that this PEDOT coating can also inhibit the release of oxygen during charging, thereby improving the structural stability of the battery and improving safety.' Argonne National Laboratory Said in a statement.
Argonne National Laboratory said that it has also solved another important issue related to lithium-ion batteries: performance comparison. Evaluate innovations in electrode or electrolyte materials, which means comparing test results. But they added that there is currently no standardized method for testing lithium-ion batteries.
'Industrial engineers and researchers from government and academic laboratories usually design their own lithium-ion battery characteristics according to the expected application of battery technology.' Battery researcher at Argonne National Laboratory Ira Bloom said in a statement.
In order to solve this problem, the Argonne Laboratory cooperated with the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, OVO Energy, the National Energy Institute of Hawaii, and Jaguar Land Rover to review Literature on various test methods used to characterize the performance of lithium-ion batteries in order to provide best practice insights.
Bloom said: 'We hope that one day our research results can provide a more reliable comparative test method for lithium-ion batteries in different applications.'
