Researchers have discovered the fundamental mechanism behind battery degradation, which could revolutionize the design of lithium-ion batteries, enhancing the driving range and lifespan of electric vehicles (EVs) and advancing clean energy storage solutions.
As the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid intensifies, the efficiency of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs), particularly the energy efficiency of the ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries they employ, is becoming a pivotal factor for energy storage management.
For these renewable energy sources to provide a stable, consistent power supply, it is essential that the batteries they rely on can deliver a high level of energy efficiency relative to the energy used to charge them.
Currently, for example, much of the substance of a battery is reduced during the recycling process to what is called black mass - a mixture of lithium, manganese, cobalt and nickel - which needs further, energy-intensive processing to recover the materials in a usable form.
When a battery is discharged to an extended depth, more energy is released during a single discharge cycle. An increase or decrease in discharge depth, for example, from 2.7 V to 2.5 V, generally has a limited effect on the energy efficiency, as shown in Fig. 9 (c).
While traditional lead-acid batteries are widely recycled, the same can't be said for the lithium-ion versions used in electric cars. EV batteries are larger and heavier than those in regular cars and are made up of several hundred individual lithium-ion cells, all of which need dismantling.
The promise of high energy density lithium–sulfur batteries with long cycle life is currently tempered by the rapid degradation of lithium-metal anodes with cycling. An in-depth understanding of the dynamical behavior in liquid electrolytes, …