Lithium-ion batteries and users share a deep love-hate relationship. We need these batteries to power our mobile devices and electric cars, but we also complain about their tendency toward instability. Fortunately, one of the inventors of the lithium-ion battery, Professor John Bannister Goodenough, along with a group of colleagues, has presented a new solid-state technology that could yield much safer batteries with three times the energy density of current designs.
The Problem with Lithium-Ion Batteries
When manufactured correctly, lithium-ion batteries are relatively stable. Problems begin when we demand more and more from them, challenge tolerances, and try to recharge them faster. The basic design remains the same: anode, cathode, and electrolyte. In overly aggressive charge and discharge cycles, the battery develops dendrites that grow through the electrolyte, leading to an internal short circuit, with the possibility of fire (and even an explosion). A potential solution lies in the concept of the solid-state battery, which essentially replaces the liquid electrolyte with a solid alternative.
A Glass-Based Solid-State Solution
A team of engineers that includes John Goodenough, one of the 'fathers' of lithium-ion batteries, has just presented a new solid-state technology that could drastically change battery performance in the future. The key behind this development is the use of a glass electrolyte. This results in lower cost, higher energy density (up to three times that of its Li-ion equivalent) thanks to the use of an alkali metal anode, acceptable recharge times, better safety (since it is not flammable), and the ability to operate in more extreme environments, with minimum temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius.
Goodenough, at 94 years old, was part of the team, but the research itself was led by María Helena Braga, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas. Braga highlighted the low cost of this technology, due to the possibility of using sodium more extensively. The best part is that they are not the only ones working on something like this. Researcher Masahiro Tatsumisago from Osaka University also explored the use of glass as an electrolyte, and a collaboration between Samsung and MIT is going in the same direction.
