The latest positive news for lithium batteries

How can we advance lithium-ion batteries?

The findings were published September 12 in the journal Science. "We are helping to advance lithium-ion batteries by figuring out the molecular level processes involved in their degradation," said Michael Toney, the paper's corresponding author and a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

What causes a lithium battery to self-discharge?

Toney, who is also a fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, and his team set out to investigate the cause of self-discharge. In a typical lithium-ion battery, lithium ions, which carry charges, move from one side of the battery, called the anode, to the other side, called the cathode, through a medium called an electrolyte.

Are lithium-sulfur batteries the next generation of renewable batteries?

Lithium-sulfur batteries have never lived up to their potential as the next generation of renewable batteries for electric vehicles and other devices. But ?SMU mechanical engineer Donghai Wang and his research team have found a way to make these Li-S batteries last longer -- with higher energy levels -- than existing renewable batteries.

Can a lithium battery bind to a cathode?

Using the Advanced Photon Source, a powerful X-ray machine, at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, the research team discovered that hydrogen molecules from the battery's electrolyte would move to cathode and take the spots that lithium ions normally bind to.

How does a lithium ion battery work?

In a typical lithium-ion battery, lithium ions, which carry charges, move from one side of the battery, called the anode, to the other side, called the cathode, through a medium called an electrolyte. During this process, the flow of these charged ions forms an electric current that powers electronic devices.

Could this breakthrough lead to more durable batteries?

"This breakthrough could lead to more durable, long-lasting batteries," said Wang, the Brown Foundation Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at SMU Lyle.