Battery fires led to the recall of nearly 2 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones. In order to address this safety concern, researchers at Stanford University have identified 21 solid electrolytes for solid state batteries that could power the next-generation of electronics. “Electrolytes shuttle lithium ions back and forth between the battery’s positive and negative electrodes,” says lead author of the study Austin Sendek, a doctoral candidate at Stanford University, who worked with ECS member Yi Cui on this research….
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Short Course at ECS meetings The use of microscopy to characterize Li-ion batteries (and fuel cells) has grown immensely in recent years. Coupled with advancements in modeling and simulation techniques, this approach offers a unique perspective on Li-ion battery cell design, operational characteristics, and establishes the linkage between performance and microstructure. Based on the work from Bruggeman and others, many historical models have centered around assumptions of microstructure ideality, such as spherical geometries of electrode particles, geometric isotropy of fluid-...
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Lithium-ion batteries supply billions of portable devices with energy. While current Li-ion battery designs may be sufficient for applications such as smartphones and tablets, the rise of electric vehicles and power storage systems demands new battery technology with new electrode materials and electrolytes. ECS student member Michael Metzger is looking to address that issue by developing a new battery test cell that can investigate anionic and cationic reactions separately. Along with Benjamin Strehle, Sophie Slochenbach, and ECS Fellow Hubert A….
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A team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University is building a flow battery prototype to provide cleaner, cheaper power. The team, co-led by ECS member Bob Savinell, is working to scale up the technology in order develop a practical, efficient energy storage device that can store excess electricity and potentially augment the grid in light of a shift toward renewables. With a $1.17 million federal grant, the team has started to build a 1-kilowatt prototype with enough power to…
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Recent safety concerns with lithium-ion batteries exploding in devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone and hoverboards have many energy researchers looking into this phenomenon for a better understanding of how batteries function when stressed. A new open access paper published in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society provides some insight into these safety hazards associated with the Li-ion battery by taking a look inside the battery as it is overworked and overcharged. Overcharging or overheating Li-ion batteries…
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Powin Energy, a company focused on creating dynamic energy storage solutions, recently announced their plan to install a 30 kW/40 kW-hour battery system at the University of Washington’s Washington Clean Energy Testbeds. The testbed facility was developed by UW to scale-up, prototype, test, and validate new clean energy solutions. Powin Energy hopes to assist the researchers at the facility in their quest to develop clean energy innovation. “We’re excited about this installation at the University of Washington because it will…
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