Solid-state lithium batteries offer potential with energy densities surpassing traditional lithium-ion technology, ideal for electric vehicles and advanced electronics.
Solid-state lithium batteries, a next-generation energy storage technology, use solid electrolytes instead of the liquid or gel-based ones in traditional lithium-ion batteries (LiBs). These batteries promise significantly higher energy densities, exceeding 500 Wh/kg and 1,000 Wh/l, making them ideal for electric vehicles and high-demand electronics. Their large-scale deployment is hindered by critical challenges, including active lithium loss during charging and discharging, which affects efficiency and performance.
The primary cause of lithium loss is uneven lithium plating, prompting researchers to focus on developing thin lithium metal foils and innovative strategies to minimize these losses. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, the Faraday Institution, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., and other institutes explored advanced methods for creating thin lithium anodes. Published in Nature Energy, their work highlights thermal evaporation as a promising technique for scalable and cost-effective production of these foils.
Unlocking Battery Potential
Current solutions often involve using excess lithium to mitigate losses, but this compromises energy density. The team’s study emphasizes the importance of fabricating ultra-thin lithium foils to enhance battery performance without sacrificing density. Through detailed technical and economic analyses, they identified thermal evaporation as a viable and cost-efficient method for producing these foils at scales suitable for gigafactories.
Their findings could accelerate advancements in solid-state battery technology by inspiring further exploration of thermal evaporation techniques for anode production. They mentioned that they estimate the costs of manufacturing thin lithium metal foils and the implications for solid-state battery pack pricing.This could pave the way for commercialising solid-state lithium batteries, improving energy storage systems’ reliability and efficiency while enabling their widespread adoption in future energy and transportation technologies.
“Solid-state lithium metal batteries hold potential to surpass the energy density limitations of Li-ion batteries, achieving over 500 Wh kg−1 and 1,000 Wh l−1,” stated researchers Matthew Burton, Sudarshan Narayanan, and colleagues. “However, inhomogeneous lithium plating results in active lithium loss, reducing coulombic efficiency.”
