Solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries have an enormous energy density and are made of widely available substances. However, their cell stability over many charging cycles and lacking performance due to slow electron exchange have prevented the practical application of these new batteries thus far.
Now, a new electrolyte can accelerate the chemical reaction in these solid-state batteries, which apparently remedies their shortcomings and provides superior performance that is no match for current battery technologies. The solid electrolyte is made of boron, sulfur, lithium, phosphorus, and iodine and resembles glass. It’s a substance that doesn’t have a crystalline structure but still appears solid and has the properties of a liquid.
Impressive capabilities
The work of researchers from China and Germany, specifically from Peking University, University of Giessen and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, shows that the newly developed battery can be cycled up to 25,000 times, depending on the charging speed. After that, the remaining capacity drops to a typical value of just under 80 percent.
In the best case, the energy density is about three times better than that of current lithium-ion batteries. The research paper further speaks of an extremely high charging speed, which could make a total charging time of well under 1 minute feasible. To be more exact, a charging time of 24 seconds could be achieved at certain values, and even then the energy density would be on a similar level as current battery cells.
On the other hand, an entire charging cycle would take 12 minutes in order to maximize the battery’s lifespan. In context, this means that the solid-state battery could be charged seven times a day for over ten years.
All these findings suggests that there is still a lot of untapped potential in battery research. That being said, these are just laboratory experiments on a prototype made of experimental materials. It will probably take a while until this technology can be found in a usable, and most importantly, affordable battery.
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