Though keeping the details close to themselves, IBM Research has
unveiled in a Dec 18th 2019 blog about a new battery technology
with specs matching or bettering lithium ion but made from three
materials, never used in a battery before, extracted from sea water.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by IBM
Discovered in IBM Research’s Battery Lab, this design uses a cobalt and nickel-free cathode material, as well as a safe liquid electrolyte with a high flash point. This unique combination of the cathode and electrolyte demonstrated an ability to suppress lithium metal dendrites during charging, thereby reducing flammability, which is widely considered a significant drawback for the use of lithium metal as an anode material.
This discovery holds significant potential for electric vehicle batteries, for example, where concerns such as flammability, cost and charging time come into play. Current tests show that less than five minutes are required for the battery – configured for high power – to reach an 80 percent state of charge. Combined with the relatively low cost of sourcing the materials, the goal of a fast-charging, low-cost electric vehicle could become a reality.
In the quickly evolving arena of flying vehicles and electric aircrafts, having access to batteries with very high-power density, which can scale a power load quickly, is critical. When optimized for this factor, this new battery design exceeds more than 10,000 W/L, outperforming the most powerful lithium-ion batteries available. Additionally, our tests have shown this battery can be designed for a long-life cycle, making it an option for smart power grid applications and new energy infrastructures where longevity and stability is key.
Overall, this battery has shown the capacity to outperform existing lithium-ion batteries not only in the previously listed applications, but can also be optimized for a range of specific benefits, including:
Lower cost: The active cathode materials tend to cost less because they are free of cobalt, nickel, and other heavy metals. These materials are typically very resource-intensive to source, and also have raised concerns over their sustainability.
Faster charging: Less than five minutes required to reach an 80 percent state of charge (SOC), without compromising specific discharge capacity.
High power density: More than 10,000 W/L. (exceeding the power level that lithium-ion battery technology can achieve).
High energy density: More than 800 Wh/L, comparable to the state-of-art lithium-ion battery.
Excellent energy efficiency: More than 90 percent (calculated from the ratio of the energy to discharge the battery over the energy to charge the battery).
Low flammability of electrolytes
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IBM Battery Research have teamed with Mercedes-Benz Research and Central Glass, one
of the top battery electrolyte suppliers in the world, and Sidus, a battery
manufacturer.
Blog post here at IBM Research :-
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2...-free-battery/
IEEE Spectrum magazine article that quotes one of the IBM researchers
as saying "To extract source materials for the battery from seawater would
not necessarily be a trivial operation".
https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise...ery-technology
