According to a report from Forbes magazine, last week, I (the author of this article, the famous American blogger Robert Rapier) accidentally saw an interesting documentary titled “Find a Super Battery.” I feel very much about this topic. Interest, because development is better, cheaper batteries are critical for future electric vehicles and the electric grid. Battery improvements can improve the EV's endurance, while cheaper batteries can help reduce the cost of electric vehicles. Make more consumers affordable this new energy vehicle.
For the grid, due to the intermittent (sometimes not available) renewable energy sources, its popularity may be very challenging. Because the wind may stop at any time, solar radiation can only be captured during the day, so these energy needs to be stored.
The effective storage of electricity can help renewable energy to play a greater role in the power grid. Therefore, many professionals in recent years are engaged in the research and development of new batteries. According to "PV Magazine", this effort is paying off, and the battery price is in 2012. It has dropped by 70% between 2017 and 2017. However, to make the scale of use of the battery reach the grid-level level, it needs to continue to reduce costs. Lithium-ion batteries have become many consumer electronics products (such as notebook computers) and Tesla (Tesla) ) The preferred battery for electric vehicles, but these types of batteries have two major drawbacks that need to be addressed.
First, although the use of lithium metal electrodes can help lithium-ion batteries produce higher energy densities, it can also produce finger-like structures (called dendrites) that eventually lead to battery short-circuiting. To solve this problem The method is to replace the lithium metal electrode with a carbon electrode, the latter's lattice structure can accommodate lithium ions. In this way, a new type of lithium-ion battery was born, although its energy storage capacity is lower than the battery with solid lithium metal electrode.
Second, lithium-ion batteries have another drawback. It is often the subject of many news reports. If these batteries are damaged, they are likely to explode or catch fire. This has happened on laptops, cell phones and electric cars. If damaged, All the energy stored in the battery can be released within a short period of time. As a result, a fierce fire may be triggered. The new battery can change the world. It not only solves the energy density problem, but also solves the risk of fire when the battery is damaged.
This new documentary presents the invention of Professor Mike Zimmerman of Tufts University. Professor Zimmerman developed a battery that replaces the liquid electrolyte in the battery with a flame-retardant plastic. Even if it is cut , Puncture or crushed, this type of battery will not catch fire. In fact, despite severe damage, it can continue to generate electricity. Lithium ions produced by the lithium electrode can quickly pass through the plastic at a speed comparable to the liquid electrolyte. It also prevents the electrode from forming dendrites that may cause the battery to short circuit. Lithium metal can be used for the negative electrode, which may double the energy density of the battery.
Professor Zimmerman's work was mainly carried out in secret. He appeared in the documentary "Looking for Super Battery". He was the first to interview him for his secret research. He has already set up the company Ionic Materials, and recently raised 6500. Thousands of dollars to help commercialize this solid-state battery. This interview did not mention any shortcomings of the battery, nor did it mention the potential challenges of commercializing it. However, if the battery can be played as advertised The role, then it can greatly promote the production and development of green energy, at the same time contribute to the popularity of electric vehicles.
