Researchers have developed a new type of binder that could significantly increase the performance of electric car batteries. The durability of the energy storage should also benefit.
Electromobility continues to gain momentum – even if the trend has ebbed somewhat recently. At the same time, wind power and solar systems generate large amounts of electricity and store it in batteries when demand is low. But all of these technologies require long-lasting and efficient energy storage.
Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) recently made further progress. They developed a novel binder for silicon monoxide-based electrodes and enriched it with polyvinylphosphonic acid (PVPA).
As a result, the binder increased both the electrochemical performance and the durability of lithium-ion batteries compared to conventional materials, sometimes significantly.
E-car batteries: New binder for better lithium-ion batteries
Silicon monoxide (SiO) is a promising anode material due to its high capacity and low cost. However, there are also disadvantages such as poor conductivity and sometimes considerable expansion during the charging process.
Effective binders are therefore crucial to solve such problems and increase the performance and longevity of lithium-ion battery systems. In a study, researchers demonstrated the superior performance of PVPA as a binder for micro-SiO electrodes.
This is because the binder showed significantly stronger adhesion to a copper support compared to conventional acids. This resulted in significantly improved durability. The battery cell made with PVPA delivered almost twice the discharge capacity compared to the PAA-based cell after 200 charging cycles.
New technology could improve electric cars, trains and ships
The company Maruzen Petrochemical participated in the research and has already established an industrial production process for PVPA. Continued collaboration between JAIST and Maruzen Petrochemical as well as the integration of additional battery production expertise could further accelerate the path to real-world applications.
Because in the future there will be a need for more innovative ideas for the sector. The researchers and the company have already filed national and international patents for the technology.
The result could be significantly longer-lasting and more energy-dense batteries in the long term. In addition to use in electric vehicles, lead researcher Matsumi also sees other areas of application – for example in trains, ships and airplanes.
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Source: https://www.basicthinking.de/blog/2024/03/16/bindemitteltechnologie-batterien/
