Promising new battery technology

Lithium-Ion Battery Inventor Introduces New Technology for Fast-Charging, Noncombustible Batteries

AUSTIN, Texas — 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.

“Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted. We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries,” Goodenough said.

The researchers demonstrated that their new battery cells have at least three times as much energy density as today’s lithium-ion batteries. A battery cell’s energy density gives an electric vehicle its driving range, so a higher energy density means that a car can drive more miles between charges. The UT Austin battery formulation also allows for a greater number of charging and discharging cycles, which equates to longer-lasting batteries, as well as a faster rate of recharge (minutes rather than hours).

Today’s lithium-ion batteries use liquid electrolytes to transport the lithium ions between the anode (the negative side of the battery) and the cathode (the positive side of the battery). If a battery cell is charged too quickly, it can cause dendrites or “metal whiskers” to form and cross through the liquid electrolytes, causing a short circuit that can lead to explosions and fires. Instead of liquid electrolytes, the researchers rely on glass electrolytes that enable the use of an alkali-metal anode without the formation of dendrites.

The use of an alkali-metal anode (lithium, sodium or potassium) — which isn’t possible with conventional batteries — increases the energy density of a cathode and delivers a long cycle life. In experiments, the researchers’ cells have demonstrated more than 1,200 cycles with low cell resistance.

Additionally, because the solid-glass electrolytes can operate, or have high conductivity, at –20 degrees Celsius, this type of battery in a car could perform well in subzero degree weather. This is the first all-solid-state battery cell that can operate under 60 degree Celsius.

Braga began developing solid-glass electrolytes with colleagues while she was at the University of Porto in Portugal. About two years ago, she began collaborating with Goodenough and researcher Andrew J. Murchison at UT Austin. Braga said that Goodenough brought an understanding of the composition and properties of the solid-glass electrolytes that resulted in a new version of the electrolytes that is now patented through the UT Austin Office of Technology Commercialization.

The engineers’ glass electrolytes allow them to plate and strip alkali metals on both the cathode and the anode side without dendrites, which simplifies battery cell fabrication.

Another advantage is that the battery cells can be made from earth-friendly materials.

“The glass electrolytes allow for the substitution of low-cost sodium for lithium. Sodium is extracted from seawater that is widely available,” Braga said.

Goodenough and Braga are continuing to advance their battery-related research and are working on several patents. In the short term, they hope to work with battery makers to develop and test their new materials in electric vehicles and energy storage devices.

This research is supported by UT Austin, but there are no grants associated with this work. The UT Austin Office of Technology Commercialization is actively negotiating license agreements with multiple companies engaged in a variety of battery-related industry segments.

For more information, contact: Sandra Zaragoza, Cockrell School of Engineering, 512-471-2129.

Thanks for posting, RollerBoySE!

This is indeed an interesting development, solving many issues. I can see masses of capital moving to support the research and development.

Oh god, another one of these “new improved battery technology!” articles that stays a prototype and never reaches the market, just like all the others.

At this point unless it is in the market and available to be purchased NOW, I don’t get my hopes up at all, it just leads to disappointment.

Let’s see whatever happens to this latest breakthrough, haven’t heard much from the last 20 ones. :innocent:

Well as long as the glass isn’t too fragile its Good enough for me :wink:

Let’s start a GB for the coming 10Ah 18650 then?

No need for that. You can already by them in droves off AE. ^0
Sign me up for 100Ah then.

If a technology is that stable and it is cheap to manufacture, do not worry instantly
any multi-billion dollar company will take it and start the production.
We know clearly in the world of electronics there is a lot of hype and a lot of variables and details which generally are excluded from being mentioned.

Not the 1000Ah Ultrafire version?

I understand the cynicism about some of the claims for new battery technology. Today I read what I could find online. It gives me the feeling that it may be significant. Here are some links about the glass electrolyte battery:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_roll\_(battery)

Thanks for the links JCup.
I think the article said this is the same guy who invented the Lithium Ion battery in the first place? Maybe I misunderstood.
But if so, I wouldn’t think it should be taken so lightly?

As we pretentious people say, indeed. :slight_smile:

This is not just some lightweight stuff from a never heard of ’em company. They say there is a working prototype “jellyroll” battery. If they can deliver 3X the energy density with sodium instead of lithium in a physically stable electrolyte, they have something massively significant. We’ll be reading more about this, almost a certainty. It could take several years to be in production, but the next thing you are likely to see is that Elon Musk, Apple, Panasonic have licensed the patent rights, and are building a new development and production facility. This would be a sea change with practical electric vehicles, solar storage systems…

Surely we haven’t yet reached the absolute pinnacle of battery technology. I hope this is the next step up.

I think it’s interesting, considering the guy it’s coming from. He’s no fool with a proven track record. Now let’s wait and see if it makes it into mass production. Oh and please, keep the calibers the same as we have now :slight_smile:

JCup, welcome to BLF
Yes the article reads like the people behind the new tech are serious, gosh I hope so!

Sooner or later, of course, there will be a breakthrough in battery technology. That is 100% certain. Whether this announcement heralds such a breakthrough is problematic. At least the authors did did not make the dreaded prediction that products will be hitting the market in "less than 5 years." A good first-order approximation that I apply to such predictions is that 5 years = infinity.

This probably belongs here and is worth the watch. Solid State Batteries For Electric Cars: A New Breakthrough By The Father of the Lithium-Ion Battery - YouTube

cheap to produce and whats the bet if they hit the shops they will be $30+ a cell in 18650