<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/has-the-solid-state-battery-riddle-been-solved-this-start-up-thinks-so/>
"A battery cell maker in the US says is on the cusp of commercialising long
awaited solid state battery technology after claiming to solve two key problems
with its own savvy design.
Ion Storage Systems plans to produce 1 megawatt hour (MWh) of its 4cm by 4cm
battery cells by the end of this year, ramping up to 10 MWh in 2025 – after
which it hopes to be able to deliver them to both electric vehicle and
stationary storage uses.
Solid state batteries have long been held up as a long term solution to
questions about lithium ion batteries – their size, duration and fire risk –
because they can provide, at least in theory, more energy density in a smaller
package and, in the case of EVs, deliver longer range.
However, the technology has also been plagued by its own persistent challenges,
namely the growth of dendrites or lithium spikes that can short the battery
when they touch an electrode.
Squashing the layers together using a lot of pressure seemed to fix the problem
a few years ago, but it also added issues such as seals that degraded at the
edges.
Furthermore, solid state batteries expand and contract when they charge and
discharge, more so than lithium batteries with liquid electrolytes, yet the
solid structure isn’t as tolerant of volume changes.
Ion Storage says it’s solved both the expansion issue and the dendrite issue,
and has tested its cell to 800 cycles – the benchmark required by consumer
electronics makers.
The company uses a coral–like ceramic structure into which lithium can expand
when the battery is being charged. It means the final battery doesn’t need to
allow for expansion because the cell itself is a little larger to account for
that.
The ceramic structure also limits dendrite growth, as ceramic electrolytes are
strong enough to resist being punched through by lithium spikes.
Much like Australian company Li-S Energy, Ion Storage uses layers to increase
energy density in its cells.
The company’s ceramic electrolyte design means it uses solid lithium metal as
the anode rather than a separate electrode, a factor that also helps to prevent
dendrite growth, and can work with any cathode."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
