(Purdue University image/Erin Easterling) Research led by Edwin García, a professor of materials engineering at Purdue University, is providing insights to help improve lithium-ion batteries. Their previous research focused on the basic mechanisms and the electrochemistry of dendrites. The paper was authored by graduate student Aniruddha Jana and García. 1 in the journal Nano Energy and will appear in a future print issue. The new research findings were detailed in a paper published online Nov. Dendrites that grow in needlelike shapes may breach the separating barrier, destroying the battery. “Better control of dendrite growth would lead to faster charging.”īatteries have two electrodes, called an anode and a cathode, separated by an insulating polymer. “We’ve all had the experience of spending two or three hours at the airport waiting for our cellphones to charge,” said Edwin García, a professor of materials engineering at Purdue University. Because they grow faster while exposed to large electrical currents needed for fast recharging, the dendrites limit recharging speed. – Researchers have learned the mechanisms behind a common type of failure in lithium-ion batteries caused by the formation and growth of “dendrites,” findings that could aid in the design of faster-charging and longer-lasting batteries.ĭendrites are lithium formations that grow inside the batteries. "We are already working on design of the cathode surface to introduce convective flows.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. "We are quite excited to explore the new applications of our study," he said. Though it is likely not possible to directly incorporate microfluidics in real batteries, Wan's group is looking at alternative ways to apply the fundamental principles from this study and introduce local flows near the cathode surface to compensate cations and eliminate the space charge layer. "With this fundamental study and microfluidic approaches, we were able to quantitatively understand the effect of flow on dendrite growth," he said. In the paper, the team outlined their proof-of concept tests, finding that this flow of ions could reduce dendrite growth by up to 99 percent.įor Wan, the study is exciting because it shows the effectiveness of applying microfluidics to battery-related problems and paves the way for future research in this area. Wan's idea was to flow ions through the cathode in a microfluidic channel to restore a charge and offset this gap. The instability of this layer is thought to cause dendrite growth, so reducing or eliminating it might reduce dendrite growth and therefore extend the life of a battery. When the reduction rate of ions is much faster than the mass transfer, it creates an electroneutral gap called the space-charged layer near the cathode that contains no ions. The theory is that dendrite growth is caused by the competition of mass transfer and reduction rate of lithium ions near the cathode surface. When they charge, some ions are reduced to lithium metal at the cathode surface and form irregular, tree-like microstructures known as dendrites, which can eventually cause a short circuit or even an explosion. These batteries have a high charge density and potentially double the energy of conventional lithium ion batteries, but safety is a big concern. Lithium metal batteries use lithium metal as the anode. In the paper, Wan's team prove that flowing ions near the cathode can potentially expand the safety and lifespans of these next-generation rechargeable batteries. view moreĪ new paper from associate professor Jiandi Wan's group in the UC Davis Department of Chemical Engineering, published in Science Advances, proposes a potential solution to dendrite growth in rechargeable lithium metal batteries. In this figure, increasing the flow rate over the electrode reduced the growth of dendrites on the surface. Engineers at UC Davis show that a crossflow of ions near the cathode can prevent this problem. Image: Lithium metal batteries are prone to growth of metal dendrites that can cause batteries to short or explode.
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