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Posted

 

phy.org

 

A team of engineers led by 94-year-old John Goodenough, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery, has developed the first all-solid-state battery cells that could lead to safer, faster-charging, longer-lasting rechargeable batteries for handheld mobile devices, electric cars and stationary energy storage.

 

Goodenough's latest breakthrough, completed with Cockrell School senior research fellow Maria Helena Braga, is a low-cost all-solid-state battery that is noncombustible and has a long cycle life (battery life) with a high volumetric energy density and fast rates of charge and discharge. The engineers describe their new technology in a recent paper published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.

tested to more than 1200 charge-discharge cycles.

works to -20C.

3x energy density of lithium-ion batteries

alkali metal anode can be lithium, sodium or potassium

solid glass electrolyte

earth friendly

safe

 

Sounds too good. I hope they can be manufactured at low cost; if so they appear to be game changers.

Posted

Sounds too good. I hope they can be manufactured at low cost; if so they appear to be game changers.

 

It seems clear that we need to change the way we deal with electricity in our economy. If successfully mass-produced, this breakthrough coupled with a new solar/wind pricing/economic strategy could lead to inexpensive energy and related products worldwide.

 

Fossil fuels will always have far greater extraction costs than wind and solar. I hope this battery technology will encourage investment in product innovation, and possibly lead the way for public ownership of the utilities again. If they don't have a paywall barrier, The Economist had a good article recently on solar/wind pricing, and how it's getting so low that investors are starting to lose interest unless the government subsidizes them to be interested.

Posted

Do you know how long these would last? Does 3x energy density mean they last 3 times as long? I wouldn't say so but maybe.

 

How many charge-discharge cycles does a lithium-ion battery have?

 

The critical question is the manufacturing cost.

Posted (edited)

A typical LiOn that we have in our phones and laptops will have around 1000 charging cycles before it degrades to the point of it being unusable. The 3 times higher energy density would mean same size battery with 3 times as much usage time. I wonder how these new batteries will do in high discharge aplications, looks impressive though weather or not they will be able to pull 30+ amps

continusly like the current top of the line, small size LiOns.

Edited by koti
Posted (edited)

A typical LiOn that we have in our phones and laptops will have around 1000 charging cycles before it degrades to the point of it being unusable. The 3 times higher energy density would mean same size battery with 3 times as much usage time. I wonder how these new batteries will do in high discharge aplications, looks impressive though weather or not they will be able to pull 30+ amps

continusly like the current top of the line, small size LiOns.

it's got a solid glass electrolyte so I would guess it could run hotter than 80-90C, which is about the safe limit of a good lithium-ion isn't it? I found this 2014 paper that seems to bear this out:

 

 

Glass-Ceramic Solid Electrolytes for Lithium and Sodium Ion Batteries

 

Abstract

 

Common Lithium and Sodium Batteries have crucial drawbacks in operation caused by the type of separators and electrolytes. Polymeric separators used in Li-batteries show an insufficient stability against rising temperatures and the growth of dendrites. So hot spots, internal shortcuts, and even fire can result. The used solid electrolytes for Na Batteries made of β/β’’-Al2O3 work at temperatures around 300 °C what leads to low efficacies by energy consumption for heating of the battery system. Cracks in Al2O3 separators can cause severe failure by leakage of molten sodium. For both types of batteries solid glass-ceramic electrolytes can contribute to a higher level in security and safe operation of battery systems by several superior material properties. By high mechanical strength, a precise distance between the electrodes is defined. Due to high thermal stability, thermal runaways are impeded. Glass-ceramic and ion conducting materials can be used as particles or porous solids in combination with liquid electrolytes for common batteries but gastight solid electrolytes even enable new battery concepts like lithium-air batteries. Thin and mechanical stable Na-Ion conducting electrolytes show high conductivities even at ambient temperatures and enable room temperature sodium batteries. Dense galss-ceramic solid electrolytes also enable the use of two different types of liquid electrolytes for anode and cathode compartment.....

 

http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2014-01/2/300.abstract

Edited by StringJunky
Posted

I'd like to know more about the number of charge-discharge cycles. The have eliminated at least one reason for <1200 charge cycles, but don't claim much more than >1200. All other things being equal, doubling the number of charge cycles reduces life cycle costs by about half; in other words, if they can be recharged 2400 times, they would be replaced half as often as Li-ion.

 

I'll be looking for an announcement they will be manufactured, e.g., at the gigafactory.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

It sounds too good to be true. But I hope it is true.

It would change the world, if it is true, The materials are not rare, and sound re-usable. So if it has the advantages claimed, it would enable electric vehicles to really take off.

Forget phones and laptops, its cars and trucks that would have the most impact on the world.

If the energy density is higher than Lithion, then the weight would be much reduced, and electric buses, cars, trucks and bikes will be everywhere.

And if the price was less than lithium, that would impact on energy storage, and make home wind and solar a more practical proposition.

That's why it sounds too good to be true. I would expect a bigger noise to be made about it, if it's really as good as it sounds.

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