EV Battery Innovation Special Report - November 2023 - 26

TECH BRIEFS
markedly improved performance
and stability when implemented in
solid-state batteries, as opposed to
conventional lithium-ion batteries. "
The team observed that the
aluminum anode could store
more lithium than conventional
anode materials, and therefore
more energy. In the end, they
had created high energy density
batteries that could potentially
outperform lithium-ion batteries.
" One of the benefits of our
aluminum anode that we're excited
about is that it enables performance
improvements, but it also can be very
cost-effective, " McDowell said. " On
top of that, when using a foil directly
as a battery component, we actually
remove a lot of the manufacturing
steps that would normally be required
to produce a battery material. "
Short-range electric aircraft
are in development by several
companies, but the limiting factor
is batteries. Today's batteries do
not hold enough energy to power
aircraft to fly distances greater
than 150 miles or so. New battery
chemistries are needed, and the
McDowell team's aluminum anode
batteries could open the door to
more powerful battery technologies.
For more information,
contact Catherine Barzler at
cbarzler3@gatech.edu.
Using Nano-Engineering Techniques to Develop a Safer Battery
The technology replaces the volatile and highly flammable organic solvents found in Li-ion
batteries with saltwater.
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
A
research team at the University
of Central Florida has developed
technology that could prevent electric
vehicle fires, like those caused by
saltwater flooding from Hurricane Ian.
The technology, an aqueous battery,
replaces the volatile and highly
flammable organic solvents found in
electric vehicle Li-ion batteries with
saltwater to create a battery that is
safer, faster charging, just as powerful
and won't short circuit during
flooding. The work is detailed in a
new study in Nature Communications.
" During Hurricane Ian, a lot of
electric cars caught fire after they
were soaked in floodwater, " said
Yang Yang, an Associate Professor
in UCF's NanoScience Technology
Center who led the research. " That
is because the saltwater corrodes
the battery and causes a short
circuit, which ignites the flammable
solvents and other components.
Our battery uses saltwater as
an electrolyte, eliminating the
highly volatile solvents. "
Also key to the battery's design
is its novel, nano-engineering that
allows the battery to overcome
limitations of previous aqueous
batteries, such as slow charging
times and poor stability.
Yang is an expert in developing
Figure 1: Electric vehicles flooded in saltwater could pose a fire risk, as saltwater can corrode the battery
and cause a short circuit, igniting flammable solvents and other components. (Image: Adobe Stock)
26 NOVEMBER 2023
materials for renewable energy
devices such as batteries with
improved safety. The UCFdesigned
battery is fast charging,
reaching full charge in three
minutes, compared to the hours
it takes Li-ion batteries.
Previous aqueous battery
designs have suffered from
low energy output, instability,
the growth of harmful metallic
structures called dendrites on the
negative electrode and corrosion.
By using saltwater as the
battery's liquid electrolyte, the UCF
EV BATTERY INNOVATION SPECIAL REPORT

EV Battery Innovation Special Report - November 2023

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