An innovative polymer coating pioneered by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Calif., has been demonstrated to boost electric car battery life by up to 15 years.<\/p>\n
The global uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) will be essential to decarbonizing the transport sector and achieving net zero targets. However, a current limitation of the technology is their insufficient driving range and the short lifespan of their batteries. Scientists have potentially developed a revolutionary solution to these issues, designing a polymer coating called HOS-PFM that enhances electric vehicle battery power and lifespan.<\/p>\n
Gao Liu, a senior scientist in Berkeley Lab\u2019s Energy Technologies Area, explained: \u201cThe advance opens up a new approach to developing EV batteries that are more affordable and easy to manufacture.\u201d<\/p>\n
The research, \u2018Formation of hierarchically ordered structures in conductive polymers to enhance the performances of lithium-ion batteries,\u2019 may represent a significant milestone in e-mobility.<\/p>\n
The HOS-PFM polymer coating works by conducting electrons and ions simultaneously, which ensures electric car battery stability and high charge\/discharge rates while boosting battery life.<\/p>\n
HOS-PFM has also demonstrated potential as a battery adhesive that could potentially increase lithium-ion battery lifetime for between ten to 15 years.<\/p>\n
The team showed HOS-PFM\u2019s exceptional conductive and adhesive properties by coating aluminum and silicon electrodes with the polymer coating \u2013 testing their performance on a lithium-ion battery set-up.<\/p>\n
Aluminum and silicon are promising lithium-ion battery electrode materials due to their high energy storage capacity, abundance, lightweight and low cost. However, these materials break down after multiple charge\/discharge cycles.
\nThe team\u2019s experiment showed that HOS-PFM prevents degradation in silicon- and aluminum-based electrodes during battery cycling. Simultaneously, the coating produced a high battery capacity of over 300 cycles \u2013 which is comparable to the performance of current state-of-the-art electrodes.<\/p>\n
Liu concluded: \u201cThe results are impressive because silicon-based lithium-ion cells typically last for a limited number of charge\/discharge cycles and calendar life. The HOS-PFM coating could allow the use of electrodes containing as much as 80% silicon. Such high silicon content could increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries by at least 30%. Because silicon is cheaper than graphite, the standard material for electrodes today, cheaper batteries could significantly increase the availability of entry-level electric vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n