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Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new method for manufacturing a key component of lithium-ion batteries. The result is a more affordable battery from a faster, less wasteful process that uses fewer toxic materials.
Lithium-ion batteries — used in products from appliances to cellphones, as well as most electric vehicles — consist of a cathode and an anode with an electrolyte in between. Ions move from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte in a reaction that converts chemical energy into electrical energy.
The drive towards decarbonisation and the demand for electric cars have increased the focus on the sustainable production of energy-dense cathodes. However, traditional processing presents challenges.
The first hurdle is the reliance on cobalt, a rare metal that is mined and refined overseas. This dependence on foreign sources poses a risk to America’s manufacturing supply chains and transportation infrastructure.
The availability of cobalt is not the only complication. The balance of other metals common in cathodes can also make the manufacturing process longer and more dangerous. For example, the high concentration of nickel has led to a widespread chemical mixing method for cathode production that requires large amounts of ammonia for corrosive reactions. Using a toxic chemical increases costs, raises health and environmental concerns, and consumes large amounts of water to reduce acidity.
ORNL researchers report in Journal of Power Sources that they have developed a cleaner, cheaper, more efficient method for making a new class of cobalt-free, high-capacity cathode material. Instead of continuously mixing cathode materials with chemicals in a reactor, their hydrothermal synthesis approach crystallizes the cathode using metals dissolved in ethanol. Ethanol is safer to store and handle than ammonia, and can then be distilled and reused.
“This new process offers the key advantage of moving the cathode industry to cleaner and more competitive production with less burden on our environment,” said ORNL’s Ilias Belharouak, the project’s principal investigator.
The hydrothermal synthesis method is also much faster, said ORNL lead researcher Rachid Essehli. The time required to make particles and prepare for the next batch of cathode drops from as little as a few days to 12 hours.
In addition, the produced material has more uniform, round, tightly packed particles that are ideal for the cathode, Essehli said. Although the ORNL team previously identified other cobalt-free combinations that work, the material developed through this study was better at maintaining stability during battery charge cycles.
Because its properties are similar to those of today’s cobalt-based cathodes, the new material can be seamlessly integrated into existing battery manufacturing processes. A patent is pending for the technology, which is ready to be scaled up for commercial production in the industry, Essehli said. “This cathode material can deliver more energy and lower the cost of batteries for electric cars,” he said.
The research was funded by the Office of Vehicle Technology of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He used resources from ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Science and the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. Both are DOE Office of Science user facilities.
Story source:
Materials provided DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Note: Content can be edited for style and length.
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