Researchers at Harvard University have developed a new solid state battery that can be recharged in 10 minutes.
The lithium metal battery researchers developed at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) can also be charged and discharged at least 6,000 times, more than any other pouch battery cell.
One of the biggest challenges in designing solid-state batteries is the formation of dendrites on the surface of the anode. Dendrites are projections of metal that can build up on the lithium surface and grow like roots into the electrolyte. They pierce the barrier that separates the anode and cathode, causing the battery to short or even catch fire.
The dendrites form when lithium ions move from the cathode to the anode during charging, attaching to the surface of the anode in a process called plating. That creates an uneven, non-homogeneous surface on the anode, and allows dendrites to take root. When discharged, that plaque-like coating needs to be stripped from the anode, and when plating is uneven, the stripping process can be slow and result in potholes that induce even more uneven plating in the next charge.
“In our design, lithium metal gets wrapped around the silicon particle, like a hard chocolate shell around a hazelnut core in a chocolate truffle,” said Li. And, because plating and stripping can happen quickly on an even surface, the battery can recharge in about ten minutes.
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Article URL : https://electrek.co/2024/01/15/harvard-solid-state-battery-charges-in-minutes/