Stanford University develops new coating to make lithium metal battery safer and more durable

According to foreign media reports, researchers from Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have invented a new coating, which can make the light metal lithium battery more safe and durable, and promote the development of the next generation of electric vehicles In the test process, the coating can greatly extend the battery life, and greatly limit the generation of lithium dendrites, avoid piercing the partition between the positive and negative poles of the battery, and solve the burning problem Lithium dendrite can not only destroy the battery, but also cause short circuit in the flammable liquid of the battery Lithium ion batteries occasionally have the same problems, but lithium metal rechargeable batteries are more affected Compared with lithium-ion batteries, lithium-metal batteries can provide at least one third more power per pound, and they are much lighter because they use light lithium as the positive charge end, rather than heavy graphite "If the performance of lithium metal batteries is improved, in addition to portable electronic products such as laptops and mobile phones, the automotive industry will be the biggest beneficiary," said Cui, a researcher Because in the process of electric vehicle operation, the battery consumes about a quarter of its energy, which affects the mileage and production cost of electric vehicle " "The capacity of traditional lithium-ion batteries has almost reached the limit," said David mackanic, a PhD student at Stanford University and one of the main researchers "Therefore, it is crucial to develop new batteries to meet the growing energy density requirements." Stanford University and SLAC research team test their coatings at the positive charge end (i.e the negative electrode) of standard lithium metal batteries, where lithium dendrites usually form They use anodes and other components with special coatings to build an operational battery After 160 cycles, they were able to maintain 85% of their initial capacity After so many cycles, ordinary lithium metal batteries will release 30% lithium Even if there is no explosion, they are almost useless The new coating can prevent the formation of lithium dendrites by creating a molecular network to transport charged lithium ions uniformly to the electrode It can prevent unnecessary chemical reaction of battery and reduce the accumulation of chemical substances on the negative electrode, so as to prevent these substances from quickly destroying the power supply capacity of battery in a short time "Our new coating design makes the lithium metal battery more stable and has further development prospects," said zhiao Yu, a doctoral student at Stanford University Currently, the team is improving their coating design to improve capacity retention and battery cycle times.