Recharging the batteries in electronic devices — as large as electric vehicles or as small as cell phones — has become as everyday activity as loading the dishwasher. The lithium-ion batteries that primarily power these devices are lightweight and cost-effective to produce. However, they are by nature inflammable, which raises concerns about their safety and reliability as power and grid storage demands continue to grow.
Applied research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory suggests that replacing lithium-ion batteries with better technology may be possible sooner than expected.
Lithium-ion batteries still require a liquid or gel to allow the battery to be charged and discharged; that is why older batteries sometimes leak with age. A new, safer generation of batteries does not rely on liquids or gels. Instead, these solid-state batteries use a very thin, solid film to keep charge-generating parts (cathodes and anodes) separate and enable the battery to be charged and discharged.
Chemists from across the laboratory have been making discoveries in the basic science behind solid-state batteries for years. Then scientists at Argonne’s Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) scale-up those discoveries and bring them closer to the market.
“Solid-state batteries can store more energy, are safer, and take up less space,” said Jessica Durham, of Argonne’s Applied Materials division, who works with fellow materials scientist Albert Lipson to produce innovative solids to replace liquid materials in batteries. “The manufacturing processes and technologies we’re developing at the MERF have specific advantages — faster processing, pressureless sintering, large-scale uniformity, and higher density — over those currently used.”
The value of speed and uniformity to battery manufacturing is straightforward, and higher density improves how long a battery can be used. Improving the sintering process is key to unlocking all of these advantages.
Testing and improving the processes and technologies that create these solid battery materials at a meaningful industrial scale and at lower cost is the MERF’s specialty. Currently, no one produces solid-state batteries that are cost-competitive with traditional lithium-ion batteries.
Argonne is one of the U.S. national laboratories working to scale solid-state electrolyte materials for batteries. It does so as part of its ongoing push to scale up complex materials and chemical processes critical to U.S. competitiveness in industrial manufacturing. The 28,000-square-foot MERF has been vital in helping Argonne to advance this effort, with a proven track record of using the latest technologies to help companies make new, emerging materials for advanced applications.
For more information: Argonne National Laboratory
