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New Battery Cathode Material To Revolutionise The EV Market

A research team from Georgia Tech has developed a new battery cathode material which could revolutionise the EV market and energy storage. The team has said that the low-cost cathode could radically improve lithium-ion batteries. Hailong Chen, leader of the team said that “It would greatly improve the EV market — and the whole lithium-ion battery market.”

The Advantages Of This Battery Cathode Material

The new battery cathode material of iron chloride costs 1-2% of typical cathode materials, whilst storing the same amount of energy. Science Daily shared that with the FeCl3 cathode, a solid electrolyte, and a lithium metal anode, the cost of their whole battery system is 30-40% of current LIBs.

Cathode materials play a critical role in the performance, capacity, energy density, and safety of lithium-ion batteries. In simple terms, the cathode is the part of the battery where the lithium ions are stored and released during charge and discharge cycles. 

Here’s how cathode materials function in lithium-ion batteries:

  1. Energy Storage and Release
  • During discharge (when the battery is in use): Lithium ions move from the anode (negative electrode) to the cathode (positive electrode) through the electrolyte. At the same time, electrons flow through the external circuit to power devices.
  • During charging: The process reverses, with lithium ions leaving the cathode and moving back to the anode, storing energy for future use.
  1. Electrochemical Reactions

The cathode undergoes electrochemical reactions that allow lithium ions to enter or exit the material. Different materials (such as oxides or phosphates) react differently with lithium ions, which affects the battery’s overall characteristics like voltage, capacity, and stability.

  1. Determines Key Battery Characteristics

The type of cathode material directly influences several important factors:

  • Energy Density: Higher energy density means the battery can store more energy for a given size or weight.
  • Voltage: Cathode material affects the operating voltage of the battery, impacting how much energy can be extracted. 
  • Cycle Life: Some cathode materials degrade faster than others, impacting the number of charge/discharge cycles a battery can go through before its capacity degrades significantly.
  • Thermal Stability: The choice of cathode material affects the battery’s safety, particularly under high temperatures or during overcharging.

With this new innovative, sustainable, and cheaper solution, the market can benefit from a significant reduction in production costs while maintaining or even enhancing battery performance. This breakthrough has the potential to accelerate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), making them more affordable to consumers and increasing their overall efficiency.