Unlocking sulfur's third electron boosts lithium-sulfur battery voltage and capacity

Good news! Sounds almost like very boring research! Like Thomas Alva Edison tested over 6000 different plant materials to find a better filament for the incandescent light bulb.

There were actually three related studies published around the same time.

"... The three studies were led by Distinguished University Professor Chunsheng Wang and received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. Together, they show how controlling reactions and transport at battery interfaces can enable more efficient use of sulfur, silicon and lithium metal. Each design addresses a different failure mechanism while advancing the shared goals of higher energy, faster charging and reliable operation under demanding conditions. ..."

"... Researchers ... recently introduced a new ionic liquid electrolyte that could improve the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. This electrolyte, ... was found to increase both the voltage and energy storage of lithium-sulfur batteries. ...

As part of their study, the researchers tested various electrolytes with different proportions of lithium salt and an ionic liquid containing chloride. ... then ran computer simulations to model the movement and interactions of atoms and molecules in batteries with these electrolytes. Ultimately, the team identified the best-performing electrolyte and used it to design a lithium-sulfur battery with a different internal chemistry. ..."

From the abstract:

"Rechargeable lithium–sulfur batteries offer a promising route to high-energy storage using abundant sulfur, but their energy density is constrained by low operating voltage, sluggish redox kinetics and polysulfide shuttling.

Raising sulfur to higher oxidation states could increase cell voltage, yet reversible high-valence sulfur chemistry in lithium batteries remains difficult because chloride species bind Li+ and halogen-mediated reactions consume electrolyte. Here we show that a free-chloride-rich ionic liquid electrolyte enables a Li||S2Cl2 chemistry that addresses these limitations by reversibly converting Li2S to S2Cl2 through a three-electron sulfur redox process. The electrolyte functions as an ionic mediator with only a minor capacity contribution.

This chemistry increases the average operating voltage from 2.05 to 2.54 V at 25 °C and 0.2C, raises sulfur-specific capacity by 58% and delivers an electrode-level specific energy above 1,700 Wh kg−1 with cycling over 100 cycles."

Unlocking sulfur's third electron boosts lithium-sulfur battery voltage and capacity

University of Maryland Researchers Develop Three Materials Strategies for Higher-Energy Lithium Batteries (original news release 1)

UMD Researchers Develop Strategies for Higher-Energy Lithium Batteries (original news release 2)

New battery chemistry could help lithium-sulfur batteries store more energy (original news release 3)

Lithium–disulfur dichloride batteries (no public access)

Reversible three-electron sulfur redox enabled by phase-separated ionic-liquid electrolytes

Scientists develop a way to restore end of life EV batteries without breaking them down into raw materials

Good news!

"The big picture: Cornell University researchers have developed a way to recycle lithium-ion batteries without breaking them down into raw materials first. Their method, called Direct Electrode-to-Electrode Regeneration, or DEER, restores worn battery electrodes so they can be used again. The results suggest that some EV batteries could be refurbished at lower cost and with less energy than conventional recycling methods, though the process will not work for every degraded cell. ...

In the Cornell process, researchers take apart used cells and place the electrodes in an electrochemical bath containing 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, or DMI. The treatment removes the thicker SEI layer without destroying the electrode itself. The renewed electrodes can then be used to build new battery cells.

The researchers reported that regenerated cells recovered up to 95% of their original capacity. They also found that treated batteries degraded more slowly than untreated ones. ...

Cornell estimates that DEER-recycled cells could cost $15.25 per kilogram, compared with $26.31 per kilogram for recycling through pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy. ..."

From the abstract:

"Lithium-ion battery recycling remains constrained by processes that recover metals at the expense of electrode integrity, while even direct recycling typically requires shredding to black mass followed by binder removal, separation, and full electrode refabrication.

Here, we introduce direct electrode-to-electrode regeneration (DEER), a simultaneous electrochemical regeneration of used NMC and graphite electrodes from end-of-life batteries in their intact form by dissolving the passivating electrode–electrolyte interphase (EEI).

DEER employs 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI), a high donor number solvent that creates a thermodynamic environment favorable for solubilizing redox inactive EEI components. DEER dissolves the thick EEI on both used electrodes while preserving electrode integrity, enabling up to 95% capacity regain and improved cycling stability with a residual LiF-rich interphase.

Operando Raman, operando IR, and post-mortem NMR directly track the electrochemically driven dissolution of carbonate-derived EEI species in the used DMI-based recycling electrolyte. Technoeconomic and life-cycle analyses show that DEER reduces the cost of recycled cell manufacturing by 56% relative to pyro- and hydrometallurgy, while lowering energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, DEER establishes the first validated pathway to directly regenerate and reuse electrodes harvested from truly end-of-life batteries, converting the key interfacial bottleneck into a controllable dissolution process and opening a practical route toward electrode level circularity."

Scientists develop a way to restore aging EV batteries without breaking them down into raw materials | TechSpot "Cornell's DEER process removes performance-robbing buildup"

Electrochemical bath recycles critical minerals in batteries (original news release, dated 9/6/2026)

Direct electrode-to-electrode regeneration of end-of-life batteries via electrode–electrolyte interphase dissolution (open access)

Visual abstract

World's largest independent EV battery study to examine degradation

Good news!

state-of-health (SoH)

"AVILOO has released a study examining electric vehicle (EV) battery degradation using data from more than 500,000 independent diagnostic tests conducted between 2022 and 2026.

The analysis covers 20 EV models and is based on the company’s FLASH battery diagnostic test, which connects through the vehicle’s OBD port and takes approximately three minutes. ...

Among four models examined in greater detail:

Hyundai IONIQ 5, 72.6-kWh battery: Median SoH declined from 97.2% at 50,000 km to 92.8% at 150,000 km.

Tesla Model Y, 78.8-kWh battery: Median SoH declined from 94.5 to 90.3% over the same mileage range.

Volkswagen ID.4, 77-kWh battery: Median SoH declined from 95.3 to 90.6%.

Nissan Leaf ZE1, 40-kWh battery: Median SoH declined from 91.1 to 86.3% and showed the widest variation among individual vehicles in the four-model comparison, reaching 13.5 percentage points at 150,000 km.

AVILOO’s data indicates that battery capacity and charging frequency can influence degradation. Smaller-capacity batteries require more charge and discharge cycles to cover the same distance, and the study found that smaller-battery EVs tended to show faster degradation. ..."

World's largest independent EV battery study - EV Engineering & Infrastructure

Compact Nuclear 1 MWe Reactor (battery) Built in Just 150 Days

Good news! The renaissance of nuclear power!

"... The reactor was produced under President Trump’s 2025 nuclear reactor plan. It was designed by Australian Bobby Gallagher and his team in Houston. It can produce one megawatt of power, at a cost of 15 cents per kilowatt hour, for five years before refuelling is required. ...

The entire reactor can fit on the bed of a Ford F150 pickup, as shown in the photo. More importantly, it can be manufactured in a factory, fits into one 20-foot shipping container, uses the existing conventional supply chain, and requires no exotic custom-made components."

Compact Nuclear Reactor Built in Just 150 Days "The American company 

Deployable Energy has developed a compact nuclear reactor in a very short space of time. Energy and climate expert Andy May is enthusiastic about it."

Pick me up reactor

Batterierecycling in Europa: Studie errechnet 1,90 Euro Verlust je Kilogramm

Schlechte Nachrichten! Ja, wieder mal die schreckliche Bürokratie! Seit wann sind alte Batterien ein Gefahrgut? Ist da, wie so oft, das Vorsichtsprinzip übertrieben worden?

"Die Verfahren zur Rückgewinnung von Rohstoffen aus Lithium-Ionen-Batterien sind technisch weit entwickelt. Wirtschaftlich ist das Recycling ausgedienter Traktionsbatterien jedoch noch schwierig. Eine Modellrechnung der HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management kommt für den untersuchten Prozess auf einen Verlust von rund 1,90 € je kg Batteriepack. ..."

"Verkauft ein Recyclingbetrieb die aus einem Batteriepack zurückgewonnenen Rohstoffe zu Marktpreisen, bleibt nach Abzug aller Kosten ein Verlust von rund 1,90 Euro pro Kilogramm Batteriepack.

Ein wesentlicher Grund: Da ausgebaute Lithium-Ionen-Batterien als Gefahrgut gelten, ist ihr Transport im Schnitt 16-mal teurer als der eines normalen Frachtguts. Hinzu kommt: Unternehmen, die sich ausschließlich auf Batterierecycling spezialisiert haben, wirtschaften der Untersuchung zufolge deutlich schlechter als breiter aufgestellte Firmen. ..."

Batterierecycling in Europa: Studie errechnet 1,90 Euro Verlust je Kilogramm "Hohe Transport- und Demontagekosten machen Batterierecycling zum Verlustgeschäft, so das Ergebnis einer aktuellen Studie. Second-Life-Nutzung schafft zusätzlichen Wert: doch Kosten und Erlöse fallen bei unterschiedlichen Akteuren an."

Studie: Europäische Batterie-Kreislaufwirtschaft braucht neue Geschäftsmodelle (Original Nachricht) "Die Technologie, um Rohstoffe aus Elektrofahrzeugbatterien zurückzugewinnen, ist ausgereift. Trotzdem verliert Europas Recyclingindustrie beim aktuellen Prozess Ressourcen.

Die Hauptursachen: teurer Gefahrguttransport, aufwendige Demontage und unsichere Materialrückgewinnung. Das zeigt ein Zwischenbericht der HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management im EU-Forschungsprojekt SAFELOOP, in dem 15 Institutionen aus 11 Ländern an einer neuen Generation sicherer und nachhaltiger Lithium-Ionen-Batterien für Elektrofahrzeuge arbeiten."

Mechanical compression of electrolytes in solid-state batteries prevents short-circuits

Good news!

"In brief

• A SLAC/Stanford University research team found they could prevent short-circuiting of solid-state batteries by deflecting the dendrite propagation direction using mechanical compression.
• They provided direct evidence that dendrites start in the interior rather than merely at the surface of the electrolyte, settling a long-standing debate within the field.
• The results could have implications for future battery design by incorporating built-in mechanical compression or electrolytes with more defect-free interiors that suppress dendrite initiation.

...

Now, in a study ... researchers have discovered a way to both track these dendrites and suppress them enough to keep the battery from short-circuiting. ...

The team found that when they applied a metal ring to compress the solid electrolyte, it prevented vertical dendrites – the kind that cause short-circuiting – from forming during charging. ...

In fact, under this compression, batteries lasted for thousands of cycles. While vertical dendrites did not form, horizontal dendrites formed internally, but these did not reach the electrodes and therefore did not cause immediate short-circuiting. ...

Under compression, dendrites still formed during charging, but they spread horizontally instead of vertically. ..."

From the abstract:

"Lithium-metal solid-state batteries offer advantages of high energy density and improved safety compared with lithium-ion batteries.

However, solid-state batteries fail through short-circuiting even at low charging rates (less than 1 mA cm−2) due to lithium dendrite initiation and propagation.

The location of dendrite initiation is under debate, particularly regarding whether initiation occurs within the interior of the solid electrolyte or at the surface.

Here we develop an in-plane biaxial compression method that provides direct evidence that dendrite initiation occurs within the interior of garnet Li6.6La3Zr1.6Ta0.4O12 solid electrolytes during long-term cycling when the surface initiation mechanisms are rendered ineffective in shorting the cell.

The biaxial compression deflects dendrite propagation so that it is perpendicular to the electric field direction, leading to the generation of an unprecedentedly high density of dendrites without short-circuiting, even at an extreme fast-charging rate of 100 mA cm−2.

After long-term cycling, dendrites eventually appeared throughout the entire thickness of the solid electrolyte.

Under extreme cycling conditions, isolated lithium deposits are observed at grain-boundary junctions and pores, and these act as the dendrite initiation sites.

This work reconciles the surface and interior initiation mechanisms in garnet solid electrolytes and demonstrates that in-plane biaxial compressive stress can prevent both from short-circuiting the cell."

Squeezing solid-state batteries prevents short-circuits | Stanford Report "SLAC and Stanford research shows that mechanical compression stops lithium buildup in solid-state batteries, making them faster to charge and longer-lasting."

Dendrite initiation and deflection in biaxially stressed solid electrolytes (no public access)

Dendrite initiation and deflection in biaxially compressed solid electrolytes (preprint, open access)

Compressed electrolyte showing horizontal dendrite propagation, which prevents short-circuiting.

Australian scientists have been building the world’s first quantum battery

Good news! This seems to be very preliminary, unpublished research and it refers back to research published already in March of 2026.

"... a device that charges faster the bigger it gets. For now, it only holds a charge for nanoseconds."

"... In March 2026, his team made an important breakthrough when they unveiled what they say is the world's first working quantum battery prototype. ...

latest experiment represents a first tentative step towards a quantum battery that could one day be substituted for conventional ones. However, at present, the prototype battery can only hold a very small amount of energy – a few billion electron volts – for a matter of nanoseconds. ...

Quach says he has in fact already achieved this with a new design he's built, and is now working on a paper to publish the results. It uses "a hybrid structure", he says, involving quantum components to allow super-fast charging with classical layers added in to store the energy for longer.

He also plans to combine many microscopic quantum batteries together to increase their total capacity. ..."

"... One strange feature of the quantum world is what are called “collective effects”. They are what give quantum batteries their unique properties.

Under the right circumstances, the storage units of quantum batteries don’t act individually, but behave collectively. In a counterintuitive twist, this means the units charge faster together than if they were charging alone.

Let’s say your quantum battery has N storage units, and each unit takes one second to charge. Collective effects mean that if all units are charged at once, each unit will take only 1∕√N seconds to charge.

This means that the bigger your quantum battery, the less time it takes to charge. If it doubles in size, charging will take just a little more than half as long. ..."

From the abstract:

"Superextensivity, where the response of a physical system scales super-linearly with size, originates from collective quantum effects and provides a promising route to augment next-generation quantum technologies.

While recent work has demonstrated superextensive behaviour in the coherent dynamics of quantum systems, these effects typically occur on short timescales, prohibiting their practical utility.

In contrast, triggering steady-state superextensive effects in, for example, a generated electric current, remains unexplored despite the immediate impact on photovoltaic technologies.

Here, we utilise a microcavity quantum battery as an experimental platform that superextensively captures light energy and converts it to an electric current via the incorporation of charge transport layers into the resonant microcavity.

This architecture enables, for the first time, a complete quantum battery charge-discharge cycle. We demonstrate that strong light–matter coupling induced by the microcavity leads to superextensive scaling of the steady-state electrical discharging power under low-intensity, incoherent illumination.

Our results provide the first experimental demonstration of superextensive light-to-charge conversion in steady-state, highlighting the feasibility of leveraging strong light–matter coupling for enhanced energy harvesting under low-light conditions."

Wednesday, August 26, 2026 - Join The Flyover

'It's very counterintuitive': The quantum batteries that upend the rules of charging "Scientists have made the world's first quantum battery prototype and, unlike conventional batteries, it charges faster the larger it gets. Could these bizarre devices one day power quantum computing – or even your phone?"

A world-first quantum battery charges faster when it gets bigger – but it’s tiny and only lasts nanoseconds (original news release, but from March 2026) "In quantum batteries, subunits take collective action to charge faster."

Superextensive electrical power from a quantum battery (open access, published March 2026, I blogged here about this paper)

Fig. 1: Composition of the quantum battery tuned for strong light–matter coupling.

SpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year and by December 2025 it had acquired $131 million worth of Tesla Cybertrucks

Amazing stuff! Is SpaceX becoming an electric vehicle? Just kidding!

"SpaceX has ramped up purchases of Tesla Megapack, spending $295 million on the battery storage devices in the second quarter and $329 million so far this year, according to the company’s earnings report released on Tuesday.

The purchase illustrates just how interconnected Elon Musk’s universe of companies are. Musk, who is the CEO and largest shareholder of SpaceX, also runs Tesla. Musk’s artificial intelligence business xAI acquired his social media platform, X, in 2025. Earlier this year, SpaceX gobbled up xAI. ...

The industrial-scale batteries are likely being deployed at the company’s xAI data centers. Before xAI merged with SpaceX, the AI company bought $430 million worth of Megapacks for its data centers. In the first quarter of this year, xAI had purchased only $34 million worth of the equipment. SpaceX also reported that as of December 2025, it had acquired $131 million worth of Tesla Cybertrucks at manufacturer’s suggested retail price, according to its regulatory filing. ..."

SpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year | TechCrunch

How DARPA plans to get nuclear power in the size of a 'AA battery'

Good news! When can I get one? 😊

"... As a way to bypass that roadblock, DARPA funded seven competing teams as part of its Rads to Watts program to refine a range of approaches to radiovoltaics. The objective of the multi-million-dollar program (full figures weren’t disclosed) is a new kind of miniature power cell that can run anything from satellites in space to tactical radios to pacemakers, tough enough to work for years or decades without recharging and in extreme environments that freeze or fry traditional power systems. ..."

How DARPA plans to get nuclear power in the size of a 'AA battery' - Breaking Defense "Seven teams are competing as part of DARPA's Rads to Watts program to create a new kind of miniature power cell that last for years or decades without recharging."

Ferric chloride steers lithium away from dendrites to improve safety of lithium-metal batteries

Good news!

I tried Google AI using multiple prompts to retrieve the underlying research paper. It completely failed!

"Ferric chloride (FeCl₃) could help solve one of the biggest safety challenges facing solid-state lithium-metal batteries.

Researchers found that adding the widely used industrial chemical to polyethylene oxide-based electrolytes promotes the growth of lithium as spherical particles rather than needle-like dendrites.

Surprisingly, the additive also softens the electrolyte, challenging the long-held view that strong electrolytes are essential for suppressing dendrite growth during battery cycling. ..."

Ferric chloride steers lithium away from dendrites to improve safety of lithium-metal batteries | Research | Chemistry World (behind paywall) "Common chemical additive challenges the assumption that stiffer electrolytes are needed to suppress dendrites"

Biocells as batteries

Amazing stuff!

However, overall the article is disappointing for lack of pertinent details possibly to protect intellectual property.

"... We’ve found a way to tap into a natural process in algae, and use it to generate continuous electricity 24/7 without harming the plant at all,” ...

The algae live within a sealed casing, and their photosynthesis produces a low-power electrical current that keeps flowing even in the dark. ...

The power output of the biocells is low, so the technology can’t be used for devices that need lots of power. The team’s idea is to use it to power large numbers of devices that would normally be powered using small, disposable batteries – for example remote controls or smoke alarms. ..."

A truly green way to power our devices | University of Cambridge "Can Cambridge-developed ‘biocells’ reduce our reliance on batteries?"

Sodium-ion batteries are entering mass production in China

Good news! Will China corner the global battery market?

"China has over 36.9 million ... passenger ... EVs and more than 420 million electric two-wheelers (motorcycles, scooters, and e-bikes) currently in use." (Google search)

"China’s CATL set to begin large-scale output this year in a push that researchers say could offer a cheaper, safer, and more abundant alternative to lithium for EVs and grid storage."

Thursday, July 16, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Beyond lithium: how sodium-ion batteries could change the world "Batteries based on sodium ions are entering mass production. Some researchers say they could ultimately be a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium in electric cars and other energy applications."

Sodium-ion batteries made by CATL in China are used in electric cars (left) and energy-storage banks for electricity grids (right).

Malaysia to start initial production of homegrown EV battery in July

Good news! Competition is good, more competition is better!

"Malaysia plans to start small-scale production of a homegrown graphene-enhanced lithium-ion battery for electric vehicles this month, marking a milestone in the country's efforts to move up the tech manufacturing value chain. ..."

Malaysia to start initial production of homegrown EV battery in July - Nikkei Asia "Country aims for exports to Indonesia, South Korea, India and Pakistan"

Renewable advocates pin hopes on batteries to fix intermittency, but costs are prohibitive: report

How many batteries would have to be built? How much mining would be necessary? How much CO2 will be emitted?

The subject of how to store the energy generated by so called renewable energy sources is often omitted or deliberately avoided!

"... Researchers with the National Center for Energy Analytics set out to find out if it’s possible to power the grid with wind, solar and batteries. Their report, which was released Thursday, casts considerable doubt on renewable energy proponents’ promise that batteries can resolve the problems of intermittency with wind and solar. ...

“This study demonstrates that a wind-solar-battery policy to meet electricity demand is physically implausible, cost-prohibitive, and unjustifiable on the basis of goals to reduce CO2 emissions,” the report concludes. ..."

"... While the quantity of battery storage has grown rapidly, it remains a minuscule share of total U.S. electricity consumption. At the beginning of 2026, total grid-scale battery storage could supply about 15 minutes of average U.S. electricity demand. ...

This study evaluated the physical and economic feasibility of building a reliable electric system primarily powered by wind, solar, and battery storage. The analysis used a model of the PJM Interconnection system, the nation’s largest grid operator, which covers 13 states and the District of Columbia and serves more than 67 million people. 

Using PJM’s long-term forecast through 2045, the study estimated the quantities of wind, solar, and storage batteries that would be needed under three scenarios: renewables only (RO), which consisted of wind, solar, batteries, and existing nuclear plants while retiring all coal and natural gas generation;

natural gas and nuclear (NGN), which comprised existing and new natural gas generators along with new nuclear plants; and

NGN+B, which added battery storage to replace gas-fired generators during peak demand periods. 

The analysis showed that to compensate for the intermittency of solar and wind, roughly tenfold more total generating capacity would be required by 2045 under the RO scenario than the NGN scenario. The additional capacity would be needed not only to serve daily or seasonal variations in supply and demand but also to accommodate well-documented wind and solar droughts—that is, multiday periods with little to no sunshine or wind. ..."

Renewable advocates pin hopes on batteries to fix intermittency, but costs are prohibitive: report | Just The News "“This study demonstrates that a wind-solar-battery policy to meet electricity demand is physically implausible, cost-prohibitive, and unjustifiable on the basis of goals to reduce CO2 emissions,” the researchers conclude."

Batteries and the Grid: Hype, Hope, and Economic Reality "A PJM-based analysis finds a wind-solar-battery grid is physically implausible and cost-prohibitive—costing ratepayers over $4 trillion, roughly six times a natural gas and nuclear system."

EV Batteries Are Defying Expectations After Hundreds of Thousands of Miles

Good news, e.g. for the used car market!

I bet, the Chinese EV makers knew this already for many years.

Caveat: I was not able to find the underlying data/study from Recurrent.

"Up to 95%

 

How much of its original range the average EV will still be able to drive after five years on the road—better than many in the auto industry expected. ..."

"Data from battery analytics company Recurrent shows that the average electric vehicle retains up to 95% of its original driving range after five years on the road. 

Battery replacement rates have also fallen sharply as technology has improved, with just 0.3% of EVs built since 2022 requiring a battery replacement, compared with roughly one in 12 vehicles produced between 2011 and 2016. ..."

EV Batteries Are Defying Expectations After Hundreds of Thousands of Miles - WSJ "Industry experts think newfound knowledge of battery durability is a game-changer for consumer confidence in EVs"

EV battery durability exceeds expectations as replacement fears persist

99,6 % Rückgewinnung: Wie ein Verfahren aus China alte E-Auto-Akkus direkt zu neuen macht

Gute Nachrichten! Liegen die Chinesen auch in diesem Bereich weit vorne?

Aber China hat es auch dringend nötig! Z.B. es gibt etwa mehrere 10 Millionen elektrische Motorräder in China, die täglich intensiv benutzt werden.

"... Eine mögliche Antwort kommt aus China: Das EPA [Europäischen Patentamt] hat heute (2. Juli) in Berlin Xie Yinghao, Yu Haijun und ihr Team von Brunp, der Recyclingtochter des chinesischen Batterieherstellers CATL, mit dem Europäischen Erfinderpreis 2026 in der Kategorie „Nicht-EPA-Länder“ ausgezeichnet.

Ihr Verfahren wandelt ausgediente Lithium-Ionen-Batterien direkt in neues Kathodenmaterial um – nach Angaben des Unternehmens mit einer Rückgewinnungsquote von 99,6 % für Nickel, Kobalt und Mangan. ...

Die Bilanz kann sich sehen lassen, stammt allerdings vom Unternehmen selbst:

• 99,6 % des Nickels, Kobalts und Mangans und 96,5 % des Lithiums ließen sich zurückgewinnen
• der Verbrauch von Säuren und Laugen sank um 73 %
• der CO₂-Fußabdruck des regenerierten Kathodenmaterials lag um 61 % unter dem der herkömmlichen Herstellung

..."

99,6 % Rückgewinnung: Wie ein Verfahren aus China alte E-Auto-Akkus direkt zu neuen macht "Ab 2030 dürften weltweit jährlich rund 1,2 Mio. E-Auto-Batterien ihr Lebensende erreichen; 2040 könnten es schon 14 Mio. pro Jahr sein. Ein chinesisches Team macht aus alten Akkus direkt neues Kathodenmaterial – und erhält dafür jetzt den Europäischen Erfinderpreis 2026."

Innovationen beim Batterierecycling nehmen zu: Streben der Länder nach Versorgung mit wichtigen Mineralien und verbesserter Energiesicherheit

Das Sieger-Duo.

Chinese Sodium-ion batteries could become a low-cost rival to Tesla's batteries

Good news! We need more cheap and better batteries! Hina from China!

I also just blogged here in German about this story!

"A popular sodium-ion battery designed by the company Hina and used in cars and large-scale energy storage systems in China matches performance parameters and production quality of Tesla's lithium-ion batteries, finds new research published in Cell Reports Physical Science. ..."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• Sodium-ion cell performance rivals established lithium-ion batteries

• High capacity retention observed at extreme charge rates and low temperatures

• Unique NaCu1/9Ni2/9Fe1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode composition identified in sodium-ion cells

• Archimedean spiral method accurately estimates jelly roll electrode length

Summary

Transparent insight into the design and materials of commercial sodium-ion batteries is essential for assessing their maturity and benchmarking against lithium-ion technologies.

We report postmortem analysis and electrochemical testing of the most commercialized sodium-ion battery technology from Hina Battery, which employs a tabless double-aluminum architecture and a novel cathode composition, NaCu1/9Ni2/9Fe1/3Mn1/3O2. This cathode features a distinctive spatial separation of copper from the other transition metals (Ni, Fe, and Mn) within individual particles.

Using an Archimedean-spiral analysis of computed tomography data, we estimate total cathode length with 2% deviation, without additional image optimization.

The cell delivers performance and production quality comparable to state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries: impedance variation across 120 cells is 5.3%, capacity remains over 100% at 4C (25°C), and usable discharge energy above 80% at −20°C, though this value drops to 56% in the charging direction."

Sodium-ion batteries could become a low-cost rival to Tesla's batteries

Cell teardown and characterization of a Hina commercial sodium-ion battery (open access)

Credits: Akku für E-Auto & Co.: Natrium statt Lithium? RWTH Aachen testet | FAZ (behind paywall) "Natrium statt Lithium: Eine neue Batterietechnologie könnte die Rohstoffabhängigkeit beenden. Forscher von der RWTH Aachen haben ein aktuelles Modell aus China zerlegt – und waren überrascht von der technischen Reife."

Figure 7 SEM and EDX of anode and cathode

Morphological and elemental analysis of sodium-ion battery electrodes.

Akku für E-Auto & Co.: Natrium statt Lithium? RWTH Aachen testet Chinesische Batterie

Hat man nicht vor früher China der Industriespionage bezichtigt?

P.S. Ich konnte leider keine anderen Artikel dazu finden (inkl. RWTH Aachen website).

Akku für E-Auto & Co.: Natrium statt Lithium? RWTH Aachen testet | FAZ (behind paywall) "Natrium statt Lithium: Eine neue Batterietechnologie könnte die Rohstoffabhängigkeit beenden. Forscher von der RWTH Aachen haben ein aktuelles Modell aus China zerlegt – und waren überrascht von der technischen Reife."

Water-based zinc batteries tackle a barrier that has long blocked cheap, stable renewable energy storage

Good news! As is too often the case, the abstract of this research paper is way too technical and narrowly focused.

"... Researchers ... recently designed new aqueous electrolyte solutions that could help to improve the performance of Zn batteries. These electrolytes ... combine water with carefully selected salts that allow negatively charged ions (i.e., anions) to move closer to Zn ions, stabilizing the molecular structure that forms around Zn anodes.

"We developed water-in-salt electrolytes that extended the electrochemical stability window of aqueous electrolytes to 3.0V, enabling Zn batteries to achieve long cycle life," ... "However, water-in-salt electrolytes increase cost and viscosity and reduce ion conductivity. In this work, we developed low-concentration aqueous electrolytes that perform similarly to water-in-salt, with low viscosity, low cost, and high conductivity." ..."

"Researchers ... have developed a new electrolyte design strategy that significantly improves the efficiency and stability of aqueous zinc metal batteries, offering a promising pathway toward low-cost, safe, and long-duration energy storage. ...

In their study, the engineering researchers propose a new architecture that enables the electrolyte to simultaneously combine several desirable properties: strong ion pairing without salt precipitation, high ionic conductivity, and a protective layer against water-induced side reactions. Testing demonstrated remarkable performance improvements, with an average coulombic efficiency of 99.99% over 1,000 cycles, a metric that measures how well batteries retain charge during use. ..."

From the abstract:

"Aqueous zinc metal batteries are low-cost electrochemical devices suitable for safe grid energy storage. However, water decomposition and Zn dendrite formation detrimentally affect their coulombic efficiency.

Conventional aqueous electrolyte solutions, with a concentration around 1 M, are cost-effective and exhibit high bulk ionic conductivity but cannot form a stable solid electrolyte interphase.

Water-in-salt and aqueous–organic hybrid electrolyte solutions can form robust solid electrolyte interphases, but they are not kinetically efficient and cost-effective.

Here, to circumvent these issues, we design variously concentrated aqueous electrolyte solutions using several salts with different donor numbers to extend anion coordination into the secondary solvation sheath.

We show that salt-derived anions with donor number > 18 enter the Zn2+ first solvation sheath, and ensure a strong binding energy between the Zn2+(H2O)5-anion nanometric clusters and water molecules in the secondary solvation sheath. In particular, 2 M aqueous electrolyte solutions containing fluorinated anions exhibit bulk ionic conductivities of 26–35 mS cm−1 at 25 °C and form a ZnF2-rich solid electrolyte interphase.

When tested in Zn||NaV3O8·1.5H2O Swagelok cells, the best-performing electrolyte solution enables an average coulombic efficiency of 99.99% for 1,000 cycles at 1.5 mA cm−2, corresponding to an initial specific energy of 130 Wh kg−1 (based on the combined weight of the positive and negative electrodes)."

Water-based zinc batteries tackle a barrier that has long blocked cheap, stable renewable energy storage

University of Maryland Engineers Design New Electrolytes for Aqueous Zinc Batteries (original news release)

Aqueous electrolyte solutions with anion-bridged secondary solvation sheaths for highly efficient zinc metal batteries (no public access)

CATL claims 6-minute charge and 1,500km range for new electric vehicle batteries

 Good news!

"CATL has developed a battery capable of allowing an electric vehicle to drive 1,500km on a single charge, the Chinese group claimed on Tuesday, as it challenges BYD for supremacy on range and charging speed. ..."

CATL claims 6-minute charge and 1,500km range for new electric vehicle batteries "Chinese group also slashes charging time in race against BYD for electric vehicle battery supremacy"

Packaging artist: CATL announces Qilin EV battery with 1000 km range "The Chinese battery manufacturer CATL is introducing an advanced fast-charging CTP battery in Beijing for lighter cars with more space and range."

CATL's Qilin Battery is continuously being improved.