Solar Energy
Whoever controls electrolytes will pave the way for electric vehicles
Whoever controls electrolytes will pave the way for electric vehicles
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jun 25, 2024
Professor Soojin Park, Seoha Nam, a PhD candidate, and Dr. Hye Bin Son from the Department of Chemistry at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) have achieved an important development in creating a gel electrolyte-based battery that is both stable and commercially viable. Their research was recently published in the international journal Small.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in portable electronics and energy storage, including electric vehicles. However, the liquid electrolytes in these batteries pose a fire and explosion risk, prompting research to find safer alternatives. One option is the semi-solid-state battery, which uses a gel-like electrolyte, offering enhanced stability, energy density, and a longer lifespan.
Creating gel electrolytes usually involves prolonged heat treatment at high temperatures, which can degrade the electrolyte, reducing battery performance and increasing production costs. Additionally, the interface resistance between the semi-solid electrolyte and the electrode is a challenge in the fabrication process. Previous studies have struggled to apply their findings to commercial battery production due to complex methods and issues with large-scale applications.
Professor Soojin Park’s team addressed these challenges using a bifunctional cross-linkable additive (CIA), dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPH), combined with electron beam (e-beam) technology. The conventional pouch-type battery manufacturing process includes electrode preparation, electrolyte injection, assembly, activation, and degassing steps. The researchers enhanced DPH’s dual functionality by adding an e-beam irradiation step after the degassing process. The CIA acted as an additive to facilitate a stable interface between the anode and cathode surfaces during activation and as a crosslinker to form a polymer structure during e-beam irradiation.
The team’s pouch-type battery, using a gel electrolyte, significantly reduced gas generation from battery side reactions during initial charging and discharging, achieving a 2.5-fold decrease compared to conventional batteries. It also minimized interfacial resistance due to strong compatibility between electrodes and the gel electrolyte.
The researchers developed a high-capacity battery of 1.2 Ah (ampere-hour) and tested its performance at 55 degrees Celsius, an environment that accelerates electrolyte decomposition. Batteries using conventional electrolytes experienced substantial gas generation, leading to rapid capacity reduction and swelling after 50 cycles. In contrast, the team’s battery showed no gas generation and maintained a 1 Ah capacity even after 200 cycles, demonstrating its enhanced safety and durability.
This research is significant because it enables the rapid mass production of safe and commercially viable gel electrolyte-based batteries within existing pouch battery production lines.
Professor Soojin Park of POSTECH commented, “This achievement in stability and commercial viability is poised to be a breakthrough in the electric vehicle industry.” He added, “We hope this advancement will greatly benefit not only electric vehicles but also a wide range of other applications that rely on lithium-ion batteries.”
Research Report:Mitigating Gas Evolution in Electron Beam-Induced Gel Polymer Electrolytes Through Bi-Functional Cross-Linkable Additives
Related Links
Electrical Engineering at POSTECH
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
DGIST enhances quantum dot solar cell performance
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
A research team led by Professor Jongmin Choi from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST, in collaboration with Gyeongsang National University’s Professor Tae Kyung Lee and Kookmin University’s Professor Younghoon Kim, has developed a new method that significantly boosts the performance and longevity of perovskite quantum dot solar cells. Their innovative approach addresses a key issue: surface distortions on quantum dots that hinder solar cell efficiency.
Perovskite quantum dots are widely regarded as essential for next-generation solar cells due to their high light-to-electricity conversion efficiency and scalability. However, the process of replacing the “ligands” on their surface often causes distortions, akin to crumpled paper, that degrade solar cell performance.
The research team tackled this problem by introducing short ligands that firmly grip both sides of the quantum dots. This method effectively restores the quantum dot’s distorted surface, resembling the process of flattening crumpled paper. By smoothing the surface, they significantly reduced defects and improved both the performance and the stability of the solar cells. The power conversion efficiency rose from 13.6% to 15.3%, and the cells maintained 83% of their performance over 15 days, marking a major advancement in solar cell technology.
“Through this research, we could minimize surface defects on the quantum dots and stabilize their surfaces by newly adopting these amphiphilic ligands, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and stability of the solar cells,” explained Professor Jongmin Choi. He also noted the team’s intention to extend this approach to other photoelectric devices in the future.
This study, a collaborative effort by DGIST, Gyeongsang National University, and Kookmin University, was supported by the National Research Council of Science and Technology, the DGIST R and D Program, and the New Faculty Research Foundation at Gyeongsang National University. The findings were published in the ‘Chemical Engineering Journal’ on September 15, 2024.
Research Report:Multifaceted anchoring ligands for uniform orientation and enhanced cubic-phase stability of perovskite quantum dots
Related Links
Philippines’ Marcos opens first EV battery plant
by AFP Staff Writers
Manila (AFP) Sept 30, 2024
President Ferdinand Marcos inaugurated on Monday the first factory for electric vehicle batteries in the Philippines, calling it the “future” of clean energy.
The Australian-owned lithium-iron-phosphate factory aims to produce two gigawatt-hours of batteries per year by 2030, powering about 18,000 electric vehicles or nearly half a million home battery systems.
“We have worked very hard and tried to do our best to bring this kind of technology to the Philippines with a clear recognition that this is the future,” Marcos said in a livestreamed speech.
“As the first manufacturing plant in the Philippines for advanced iron phosphate batteries… (it) sets the stage for the Philippines to become a player in clean energy storage in our part of the world.”
Located in New Clark city north of Manila, the StB Giga Factory Inc. facility will create 2,500 local jobs and channel five billion pesos ($89.2 million) into the economy each year, Marcos said.
The investment aligns with the government’s efforts to “transition our country to renewable energy”, and would help Manila “entice more investors in renewable energy facilities in the country”, he added.
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Fire breaks out at Chinese battery giant CATL plant
by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Sept 29, 2024
A fire broke out Sunday at a factory belonging to Chinese battery giant CATL, which supplies electric vehicle makers including Tesla, but only a “relatively small” impact on operations is expected, the company said.
A CATL spokesperson said no injuries or casualties had occurred at the plant in the coastal city of Ningde, and that “the reasons behind this accident are still under investigation”.
Emergency services were sent to the plant to fight the fire and to organise the evacuation of any people who were inside the 15,000 square metre (160,000 square feet) site, a statement by the Dongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone said.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze just before 11:30 AM local time (0330 GMT).
It was not immediately clear what was produced at the plant, CATL’s base in the eastern province of Fujian, but the company said the effect of the now extinguished fire would not be significant.
“The impact to CATL’s overall production operation is relatively small,” the spokesperson said.
Videos published by the Chinese business media outlet Cailianshe, and posted on the Weibo social network, showed parts of a large white building in flames with thick gray smoke rising into the air.
AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the images.
CATL was founded in 2011 and produces more than a third of the electric vehicle batteries sold worldwide for automakers that include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai.
ehl-reb/des
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