Engineers develop new material for better lithium-ion batteries

[rangerrebew]

Engineers develop new material for better lithium-ion batteries
November 1, 2017
 

The batteries we use every day may soon become cheaper, smaller and lighter. Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered a family of anode materials that can double the charge capacity of lithium-ion battery anodes. This means that the batteries that we use in everything from cellphones to large-scale energy storage systems could be more efficient in the future.

The new family of anode materials, which the researchers dubbed the Interdigitated Eutectic Alloy (IdEA) anode, saves time and materials by producing an anode using only two simple steps instead of the multiple steps traditionally required to mass-produce lithium-ion battery anodes.

https://techxplore.com/news/2017-11-material-lithium-ion-batteries.html

[Joe Wooten]

But they will not increase the energy density, which is the main drawback of batteries. If they can get it to near the energy density of gasoline or diesel, then electric cars can become more competitive with IC engine cars.

[Free Vulcan]

But they will not increase the energy density, which is the main drawback of batteries. If they can get it to near the energy density of gasoline or diesel, then electric cars can become more competitive with IC engine cars.

Absolutely true. I've read numerous times that battery tech is what is holding us back from a whole bunch of scientific discovery translating into real world application.

This does seem to be an improvement. I do wonder instead of the same charge in a smaller battery, possibly bigger charge in the same size.