New electrolyte enables batteries to function in ultra-low temperatures, expanding their operational range significantly.
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In a significant advancement concerning battery technology, a team of researchers has developed a new electrolyte that enables lithium-ion batteries to function efficiently in ultra-low temperatures.
The international team led by Fan Xiulin, a professor at Zhejiang University, claims that development would allow batteries to operate as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius (minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit) effectively.
Researchers also have uncovered a previously undiscovered ion transport mechanism in batteries, which has the potential to lay the groundwork for developing high-energy batteries capable of functioning under extreme conditions, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Xiulin highlights that these batteries could find utility in various fields, such as telecommunications, trains, arctic exploration, aviation, and electric vehicles.
The details of the team’s research were published in the journal Science.
Creating lithium-ion batteries suitable for low-temperature environments has been challenging due to the difficulty in achieving a balance between high energy density, wide operating temperature range, and fast charging capabilities all in one battery. One of the reasons is that all of these features depend on an electrolyte, a battery component that moves ions between electrodes, having qualities that oppose one another.
To solve the challenge, the team created an electrolyte consisting of minuscule solvent molecules that allow for battery characteristics that are “unattainable” with current electrolyte designs, according to SCMP.
According to their research, the electrolyte facilitated ultra-fast charging in cold environments. It allowed lithium-ion batteries to operate with great capacity and stability in temperatures as low as minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit (80 Celcius). And the battery may be charged 80 percent of its capacity in 10 minutes at extremely low temperatures.
Innovative electrolyte boosts battery performance.
Lithium salts mixed in an organic solvent are the usual ingredients of lithium-ion battery electrolytes. Electrolytes constrain the ionic conductivity, or ion movement, in a battery.
However, after four years of investigation that included testing many solvents over a broad temperature range, the group used a solvent known as fluoroacetonitrile to create an electrolyte. The researchers discovered that the electrolyte facilitated an undiscovered mode of structural movement within batteries through experiments using soft-pack lithium-ion batteries, also known as flat-pouch battery cells, according to SCMP.
Plastic Battery Box Cover Researchers call this process “ligand-channel transport,” in which small solvent molecules in the electrolyte form two sheath layers around lithium ions and construct channels for the ions to travel through. The ligand-channel-facilitated conduction mechanism makes high-energy batteries that function in harsh environments possible. This method enabled their electrolyte to have 10,000 times better ionic conductivity at – 94 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) than standard electrolytes, according to SCMP. The group discovered that their electrolyte design concept works incredibly well for lithium-ion sodium- and potassium-ion batteries. According to the team, this research still has limitations as more investigation may be required to guarantee that the electrolyte can function properly within a traditional battery design.