A study published by researchers at the University of Texas shows that it is possible to double the range and charging speed of electric cars by modifying the architecture of the electrodes. This study opens the door to improving lithium-ion battery technology.
The process of switching to electric cars is full of challenges. Manufacturers are aware that they need to develop electric cars with a longer range and, just as importantly, a shorter charging time. More autonomy and less charging time. It is a promise that in recent years has been associated with the long-awaited solid-state batteries. However, the current predominant technology, lithium-ion batteries, has significant room for improvement.
a recent published study by a team of researchers from the University of Texas, in the United States, shows that there is still a high possibility of progress for the batteries used mainly by electric cars that we can find in our dealerships. This study points directly to the aforementioned issues that are crucial for the massification of the electric vehicle. Autonomy and charging time.
Double the performance of lithium-ion batteries
The researchers who have worked on this recently published project have developed a new type of electrode for lithium ion batteries. An electrode that opens the door to generating greater charging power and greater autonomy. By creating thicker electrodes, the positively and negatively charged parts of the battery that deliver power to a device, using magnets to create a unique alignment that avoids the common problems associated with sizing these components.
The result is an electrode that opens the door to batteries that offer double autonomy. Guihua Yu, Professor in the University of Texas Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, said: “Two-dimensional materials are commonly considered promising candidates for high-speed energy storage applications because they only need to be several nanometers thick for rapid transport. load”.
Guihua Yu also asserts that the use of this new architecture is not without problems: “For new-generation high-energy batteries based on new electrode design, stacking nanosheets as building blocks can cause significant bottlenecks in charge transport, making it difficult to achieve high energy and fast charging ».
The key is in two-dimensional materials
The use of thin two-dimensional materials like electrode building blocks, stacking them to create thickness and then using a magnetic field to manipulate their orientations, is positioned as the main key to this new technology. The research team used commercially available magnets during the manufacturing process to arrange the two-dimensional materials in a vertical alignment, creating a fast path for the ions to travel through the electrode.
“Our electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performance in part due to high mechanical strength, high electrical conductivity, and facilitated lithium ion transport due to the unique architecture we designed,” said Zhengyu Ju, a graduate student who has been part of the work team.
The researchers have made it clear that the project is still there is a long way to go. However, they stress that their goal is to generalize their methodology of vertically organized electrode layers to apply it to different types of electrodes using other materials.
Font: UTNews