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Degradation of Lithium Batteries Shown In Real-time (ucl.ac.uk)

Posted by Soulskill on from the what-the-inside-of-your-crappy-cell-phone-battery-looks-like dept.

hypnosec writes: High-Speed Operando Tomography and Digital Volume Correlation have been used by a University College London-led team to show in real-time how lithium batteries degrade as they are used. Real-time 3D images of active, commercial Li/MnO2 disposable batteries were captured using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and advanced digital volume correlation software. The images formed cross-section time-lapse videos showing the damage occurring on the electrodes inside the battery in real-time.

1 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Can't wait for solid-state batteries by Alwin+Henseler · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That is, until those are commercialized and become affordable for common uses.

    So many issues with today's 'wet' batteries result from having a liquid electrolyte where particles move around, distance between electrodes may very somewhat (locally, at least), substances can dissolve in one place and deposit elsewhere (or form structures that cause a short circuit), electrolyte slowly escapes through a cells' sealing or (potentially) bursts into a cloud of smoke & fire when cell is abused, etc, etc.

    Move to a construction that consists entirely of solid materials, and you get more capacitor-like behavior: vastly increased # of charge/discharge cycles, possible to make much safer, wider temperature range, potentially high capacity and/or power density, short charging times, less degradation when stored in discharged condition, etc. To top it of, perhaps lower cost as well.

    Would be good to have an article about current state of the art in this area.