A Revolutionary Step in Electric Vehicle Batteries: Enhanced Safety and Storage Through Novel Battery Design

Researchers from the University of Maryland have made significant strides in advancing lithium battery technology, enhancing its safety and efficacy for use in electric vehicles by inhibiting dendrite formation. Although this development shows great promise, challenges in engineering and economic feasibility remain, with an anticipated market debut by the year 2026.

Maryland-based engineering scholars have formulated a technique to circumvent the prevalent issues afflicting next-generation lithium batteries.

Scientists at the University of Maryland who specialize in understanding the limitations of lithium batteries have introduced a groundbreaking technology with the potential to make electric vehicles (EVs) both safer and more energy-efficient. This innovation could significantly reduce the hazards associated with battery-induced fires, a major drawback of existing battery systems.

Controlling Dendrite Formation

The avant-garde approach was detailed in a research paper published recently in the academic journal Nature. It effectively halts the growth of lithium dendrites—harmful, tree-like formations within all-solid-state lithium batteries that have hindered widespread commercial exploitation of this promising energy storage solution. Spearheaded by Chunsheng Wang, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, this new battery interlayer design eliminates dendrite growth, thereby paving the way for feasible production of all-solid-state batteries in EVs.

Existing Battery Limitations

Currently, there are approximately 750,000 registered EVs in the United States that operate on lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are favored for their high energy storage capabilities but contain a combustible liquid electrolyte that poses a fire risk when overheated. While statistical data on the frequency of electric vehicle fires are not systematically collected by any governmental body, such incidents present unique dangers. The National Transportation Safety Board indicates that first responders are susceptible to hazards including electric shock and exposure to hazardous fumes from damaged or burning batteries.

Progress in All-Solid-State Battery Technology

All-solid-state batteries could result in automobiles that surpass existing electric or internal combustion vehicles in terms of safety. However, devising a method to overcome existing flaws proved challenging, according to Wang. Operating these batteries at the elevated capacities and charge-discharge rates required by electric vehicles causes lithium dendrites to form towards the cathode, resulting in short circuits and capacity degradation.

In 2021, Wang, along with Postdoctoral Associate Hongli Wan, initiated theoretical work to understand the factors behind lithium dendrite formation, an issue that is still a subject of academic discourse, according to the researchers.

“Upon resolving that aspect, we proposed a design modification for the interlayers that would effectively restrain lithium dendrite growth,” Wang stated.

What sets their approach apart is the stabilization of the battery’s interfaces between the solid electrolyte and the anode (where the circuit’s electrons enter the battery) and between the electrolyte and the cathode (where energy is discharged from the battery). The redesigned battery incorporates a fluorine-rich layer that stabilizes the cathode side, as well as adjustments to the anode’s interlayer using magnesium and bismuth, thereby inhibiting lithium dendrite growth.

“In existing batteries, a compromise between high energy and safety is inevitable. But solid-state batteries can achieve both,” Wang noted.

Path to Market Introduction

Before this technological innovation can be commercialized, additional challenges must be addressed. To make all-solid-state batteries market-ready, researchers will need to reduce the thickness of the solid electrolyte layer to match that of lithium-ion batteries, thereby enhancing the energy density, or the amount of power the battery can store. Material costs remain another hurdle, as noted by the research team.

Targeting a market launch by 2026, Solid Power, an advanced battery manufacturing company, intends to initiate testing of this new technology to evaluate its commercial viability. Ongoing studies aim to further augment the energy density, according to the researchers.

Reference: “Interface design for all-solid-state lithium batteries” by Hongli Wan, Zeyi Wang, Weiran Zhang, Xinzi He, and Chunsheng Wang, published on October 25, 2023, in Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06653-w

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More about lithium battery technology

• University of Maryland Engineering Department
• Nature Journal: “Interface design for all-solid-state lithium batteries”
• National Transportation Safety Board: Electric Vehicle Safety
• Advanced Battery Manufacturer Solid Power
• Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Concerns and Statistics