The dependence on fossil fuels is reducing all over the world, and manufacturers and industries are turning to lithium-ion batteries to power the machines that make modern life possible.
As lithium-ion batteries age and are charged, they develop dendrites. A research team from the University of Houston is trying to solve the dendrite problem by investigating how these structures grow on batteries. Image Credit: Getty Images.
Such batteries power mobile phones, drones, electric vehicles, vacuum cleaning robots and other machines, and they will be a crucial component in the energy transition.
However, there is an issue that has been linked with lithium-ion batteries: as they age and are charged, they tend to form dendrites. A research group from the University of Houston is attempting to find ways to resolve the dendrite problem by examining how these structures grow on batteries.
Dendrites are spiky structures that build up on the batteries’ anodes. These structures decrease the battery life, hinder their potential to hold a charge and could short-circuit machines, leading to safety hazards such as battery fires.
By understanding how dendrites grow on batteries, we can identify chemical and physical solutions to prevent the growth of dendrites, which is necessary to develop the next generation of batteries.
Xiaonan Shan, Study Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston
Shan and his team have come up with a “novel in-situ” 3D microscopy to image and study the localized electrochemical environments and comprehend where dendrites begin forming in batteries. With the help of the 3D microscope, small cameras and other computer imaging technology, Shan and his team were successful in geometrically mapping out how a battery develops dendrites in the first place.
The study findings were reported in the Advanced Energy Materials journal.
This is significant because most battery researchers traditionally use electrochemical measurements to measure the entire surface or interior battery, so they don't know what happens inside the battery.
Xiaonan Shan, Study Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston
The lead author of the study is Guangxia Feng, an electrical and computer engineering graduate student.
The majority of the battery companies tend to concentrate on the materials part of developing batteries. Hence novel materials emphasize performance, added Feng.
With this process, manufacturers can theoretically make better performing batteries by focusing on the structural design of batteries that discourages the growth of dendrites. And in the next step, we will use this technique to design highly efficient Zn (zinc-carbon) batteries.
Xiaonan Shan, Study Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston
The study authors include Jiaming Guo, Yaping Shi, Xiaoliang, Xu Yang, and David Mayerich, all of the UH Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Huajun Tian, Zho Li, and Yang Yang, University of Central Florida.
Journal Reference:
Feng, G., et al. (2021) Probe the Localized Electrochemical Environment Effects and Electrode Reaction Dynamics for Metal Batteries using In Situ 3D Microscopy. Advanced Energy Materials. doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202103484.
Source: https://www.uh.edu/