EV batteries could retain 96% capacity after 1,300 cycles with new silver-ion tech
Researchers in Korea have unveiled a groundbreaking silver-ion coating that could make next-generation lithium-metal batteries safer, longer-lasting, and easier to commercialize.
The ultrathin layer, developed by researchers led by Cho Jin-han, PhD, a professor at Korea University’s chemical and biological engineering department, prevents the formation of dangerous dendrites.
Dendrites are tiny, tree-like metal structures that form on the negative electrode of a battery during charging. They can cause short circuits, overheating, and even explosions on high-energy batteries.
Cho explained:
This study demonstrates that the interface of a lithium electrode can be precisely controlled using only silver ions without going through a complex synthesis process,
Silver ions boost safety
Lithium-metal batteries have long been viewed as the next major step in energy storage technology, due to their potential for significantly higher energy density, which could double the capacity of conventional lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells.
However, their widespread use has been hindered by safety concerns. During repeated charging and discharging, lithium tends to deposit unevenly, forming dendrites that pierce the separator between the anode and cathode. Once that happens, the battery can short out, overheat or fail entirely.
Now, to address the issue, the research team came up with a remarkable yet simple solution and developed a silver-ion coating method. The technology forms a protective layer so that lithium stacks uniformly.
Researchers in Korea have unveiled a groundbreaking silver-ion coating that could make next-generation lithium-metal batteries safer, longer-lasting, and easier to commercialize.
The ultrathin layer, developed by researchers led by Cho Jin-han, PhD, a professor at Korea University’s chemical and biological engineering department, prevents the formation of dangerous dendrites.
Dendrites are tiny, tree-like metal structures that form on the negative electrode of a battery during charging. They can cause short circuits, overheating, and even explosions on high-energy batteries.
Cho explained:
This study demonstrates that the interface of a lithium electrode can be precisely controlled using only silver ions without going through a complex synthesis process,
Silver ions boost safety
Lithium-metal batteries have long been viewed as the next major step in energy storage technology, due to their potential for significantly higher energy density, which could double the capacity of conventional lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells.
However, their widespread use has been hindered by safety concerns. During repeated charging and discharging, lithium tends to deposit unevenly, forming dendrites that pierce the separator between the anode and cathode. Once that happens, the battery can short out, overheat or fail entirely.
Now, to address the issue, the research team came up with a remarkable yet simple solution and developed a silver-ion coating method. The technology forms a protective layer so that lithium stacks uniformly.
However, they are confident that the innovation’s performance levels bring this novel technology closer to real-world application standards. They also believe the approach could be adapted for various types of metal batteries.
Cho concluded in a press release,
In the future, it could evolve into a technology platform that can be extended to lithium and various metal batteries such as sodium and zinc,
The study titled ‘High-performance dendrite-free lithium textile anodes using interfacial interaction-mediated ultrathin metal organic framework multilayers’ has been published in the journal Advanced Materials.
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EV batteries could retain 96% capacity after 1,300 cycles with new silver-ion tech, source
