Engineers develop ultra-futuristic battery that dramatically outperforms competition: ‘High energy and safe’

A cadre of experts from China and Germany may have found a life-extending elixir of sorts for promising lithium-sulfur battery chemistry, according to lab results published in Nature.

The international expert group from multiple institutions leveraged abundant sulfur — along with boron, lithium, phosphorus, and iodine, or lithium thioborophosphate iodide — to form a “glass-like mixture” that serves as a solid electrolyte, per Tech Xplore.

“The latter proved to be the key; it helped speed the movement of electrons through the redox reactions, which led to faster reaction speeds,” the publication’s Bob Yirka wrote.

When batteries operate, ions move between two electrodes through the electrolyte, which is often a liquid. Solid versions, considered a safer alternative, are being studied in numerous labs.

The study material’s porous structure is good for ion movement, key to battery function. What’s more, the pack held greater than 80% of its capacity after 25,000 charge-discharge cycles, per the abstract.

The experts join others from labs around the world who are trying to find a superb battery that outperforms common, reliable lithium-ion tech. The goal is often to lower the size and cost of power packs, perks that would reverberate throughout industry, including with electric vehicles and other tech.

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Lithium-sulfur is an option garnering attention because of its lower cost and capacity potential, according to Tech Xplore and AZoNano. The latter report called sulfur-based packs “among the most promising successors of lithium-ion batteries.”

What’s more, the Tech Xplore article suggests that the biggest hurdles — ion loss, expansion inside the pack, and degradation during cycling — are manageable.

The group’s prototype outperformed common lithium-ion batteries, which start to degrade after 1,000 cycles. The sulfur pack even tested well in high temperatures, all according to the publication.

Battery experimentation often leads scientists to unique materials. In Australia, a team is incorporating the common antiseptic Betadine in lithium-sulfur chemistry. Researchers in Argentina are utilizing cow hair in pack cells in their effort to create an affordable unit.

Next-generation batteries are needed as we transition to a cleaner-energy future. Sustainability by Numbers estimated that at least about 30 million tons of minerals will need to be mined each year to power the switch. It’s a load, but still far less than the 16.5 billion tons of dirty fuels harvested from Earth annually. By developing more common and easily accessible materials that improve battery function, scientists can speed greater adoption of EVs and grid-level storage of renewable energy.

A large sodium-ion pack in China is online and capable of powering 12,000 homes, as another example of innovative material use.

Using batteries to power our rides and store power for later use can reduce dependence of nonrenewables, limiting heat-trapping air pollution. Most people in the world breathe polluted air, according to the World Health Organization. Medical experts from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America have linked the fumes to asthma and other health risks.

Fortunately, effective batteries are already powering cleaner rides. Each EV that replaces a gas-guzzler prevents thousands of pounds of harmful exhaust each year, per government data. That’s not to mention the $1,500 you can save annually in gas and maintenance costs. Further, tax incentives of up to $7,500 on certain models remain available to help you make the purchase.

Tech Xplore reported that the team is continuing work to find better materials to add to the mix to reduce weight, among other improvements.

“We expect that our work … will pave the way for developing advanced [batteries] that are high energy and safe,” they wrote in Nature.

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