The use of MRI to directly observe metal-ion dissolution in lithium battery cathodes

There is enormous promise in how this technique can increase the ability to understand how reactions within these batteries work and how to test alternate battery technology

19-Feb-2025 - Many of the devices that make modern life convenient and efficient rely on rechargeable batteries. Lithium-ion batteries, one of the more common types used, are low cost and work at a high operating voltage, which makes them ideal for many electronic devices and electric vehicles. However, they ...

Unlocking the potential of lithium-sulfur batteries

Researchers develop electrolyte additives for enhanced energy storage: “Synchrotron techniques provide powerful tools for characterizing battery materials”

15-Jan-2025 - Lithium-ion (Li-ion)batteriesare an integral part of society, from cellphones and laptops to electric vehicles. While Li-ion batteries have been a major success to date, scientists worldwide are racing to design even better​“beyond Li-ion” batteries in the shift toward a more electrified ...

Lithium-sulphur pouch cells investigated at BESSY II

Degradation processes examined

10-Jan-2025 - A team from HZB and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS) in Dresden has gained new insights into lithium-sulphur pouch cells at the BAMline of BESSY II. Supplemented by analyses in the HZB imaging laboratory and further measurements, a new picture emerges of processes ...

Unique X-ray microscope paves the way to more powerful batteries

New insights into the morphological and chemical changes in battery materials

21-Nov-2024 - New cathode materials are being developed to further increase the capacity of lithium batteries. Multilayer lithium-rich transition metal oxides (LRTMOs) offer particularly high energy density. However, their capacity decreases with each charging cycle due to structural and chemical changes. ...

How the microstructure of highly reactive alkali metals in solid-state batteries can be determined

Control of the microstructure crucial for properties in batteries

27-Sep-2024 - Lithium and sodium metal anodes play a crucial role in the further development of high-performance solid-state batteries. In order to favorably influence the electrochemical properties of these highly reactive alkali metals, understanding their microstructure is essential. For the first time, a ...

How solid-state batteries degrade

What happens during operation?

12-Jul-2024 - Solid-state batteries have several advantages: they can store more energy and are safer than batteries with liquid electrolytes. However, they do not last as long and their capacity decreases with each charge cycle. But it doesn't have to stay that way: Researchers are already on the trail of the ...

Research to enable cheaper and safer battery storage

New insights into batteries during operation

02-Jul-2024 - Researchers have developed a new technique to solve the problem of how to increase the capacity of sodium-ion batteries. The research in Applied Physics Reviews was jointly led by Professor Oleg Kolosov from Lancaster University and Professor Zhigao Huang from Fujian Normal University, with key ...

MXenes for energy storage: Chemical imaging more than just surface deep

19-Jun-2024 - A new method in spectromicroscopy significantly improves the study of chemical reactions at the nanoscale, both on surfaces and inside layered materials. Scanning X-ray microscopy (SXM) at MAXYMUS beamline of BESSY II enables the investigation of chemical species adsorbed on the top layer ...

Hazardous ingredients in batteries

Trust, but verify! A long and winding road to an innovative method

29-Sep-2023 - Although strict limits exist, old types of batteries can still contain too many hazardous ingredients such as mercury, cadmium and lead. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has therefore launched a control campaign. Empa has laid the foundations for this with a novel tailor-made method ...

Pixel-by-pixel analysis yields insights into lithium-ion batteries

In a first, researchers have observed how lithium ions flow through a battery interface, which could help optimize the material’s design

20-Sep-2023 - By mining data from X-ray images, researchers at MIT, Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator, and the Toyota Research Institute have made significant new discoveries about the reactivity of lithium iron phosphate, a material used in batteries for electric cars and in other rechargeable ...