Engineers at the University of Texas at Austin – led by 94 year-old Professor John Goodenough, pictured, co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery – have developed solid state battery cells which they say could lead to safer, faster-charging, longer-lasting rechargeable batteries.
“Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted,” said Prof Goodenough. “We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries.”
The researchers say they have demonstrated that their new battery cells have at least three times the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries. The UT Austin battery formulation is also said to support more charging and discharging cycles, as well as recharging in minutes, rather than hours.
Instead of the liquid electrolytes used in current batteries, the researchers have developed glass electrolytes that enable the use of an alkali-metal anode and it is this development that allows energy density and cycle life to be increased.
The solid glass electrolytes also demonstrate high conductivity at -20°C, leading the team to claim their battery is the first solid state device that can operate at temperatures of less than 60°C.
Prof Goodenough and senior research fellow Maria Helena Braga are continuing their battery-related research and hope to work with battery makers to develop and test their new materials in electric vehicles and energy storage devices.
Author
Graham Pitcher
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk