A Harvard University spinoff called Adden Energy has developed a new solid state battery that can last for 6,000 cycles and recharge in just 10 minutes. This technology is expected to make electric vehicles more affordable by increasing the lifespan of their batteries. It has successfully addressed the challenges of ion movement and dendrite formation.
Dendrites, which are small fernlike structures that form on the positive electrodes of lithium-ion batteries, can negatively impact battery functionality and also raise the likelihood of a fire hazard.
The Adden team has developed a new battery that prevents the formation of dendrites by using small silicon particles in the anode. These particles help regulate the reaction and ensure that a thick layer of lithium metal is evenly deposited.
The presence of coated particles ensures that the current density is evenly spread on the battery’s surface, preventing the formation of dendrites. This allows for fast plating and stripping, enabling the battery to recharge in approximately 10 minutes, which is about the same amount of time as filling up a tank of gas.
“In our design, lithium metal gets wrapped around the silicon particle, like a hard chocolate shell around a hazelnut core in a chocolate truffle. The battery retained 80% of its capacity after 6,000 cycles, outperforming other pouch cell batteries on the market today,” the Adden team elaborated.
The new solid state battery is still in the scaling-up stage. The study involved a pouch cell the size of a postage stamp. Still, that’s about 10 to 20 times bigger than a typical university lab-made battery, and it was big enough to establish some data. The battery is expected to be commercial available for EVs sometime around 2030.
Reference- Interesting Engineering, Journal Nature Materials, Journal Nature Communications, Clean Technica