. 24/7 Space News .
ENERGY TECH
Better red than dread: Barrier keeps batteries safe
by Staff Writers
Houston TX (SPX) Feb 15, 2019

A layer of red phosphorus in rechargeable lithium metal batteries can signal when damaging dendrites threaten to create a short circuit. The technique developed at Rice University could lead to more powerful lithium metal batteries.

Rice University scientists have taken the next step toward the deployment of powerful, rechargeable lithium metal batteries by making them safer and simpler to manufacture.

The Rice lab of chemist James Tour made test cells with a coat of red phosphorus on the separator that keeps the anode and cathode electrodes apart. The phosphorus acts as a spy for management systems used to charge and monitor batteries by detecting the formation of dendrites, protrusions of lithium that can cause them to fail.

Lithium metal anodes charge much faster and hold about 10 times more energy by volume than common lithium-ion anodes used in just about every electronic device on the market, including cellphones and electric cars. Anodes are one of two electrodes needed for battery operation.

But charging lithium-infused anodes forms dendrites that, if they reach the cathode, cause a short circuit and possibly a fire or explosion. When a dendrite reaches a red phosphorus-coated separator, the battery's charging voltage changes. That tells the battery management system to stop charging.

Unlike other proposed dendrite detectors, the Rice strategy doesn't require a third electrode.

"Manufacturing batteries with a third electrode is very hard," Tour said. "We propose a static layer that gives a spike in the voltage while the battery is charging. That spike is a signal to shut it down."

The research appears in Advanced Materials.

The red phosphorus layer had no significant effect on normal performance in experiments on test batteries by the Tour lab.

The researchers built a transparent test cell with an electrolyte (the liquid or gel-like material between the electrodes and around the separator that allows the battery to generate a current) known to accelerate aging of the cathode and encourage dendrite growth. That let them monitor the voltage while they watched dendrites grow.

With an ordinary separator, they saw the dendrites contact and penetrate the separator with no change in voltage, a situation that would lead a normal battery to fail. But with the red phosphorus layer, they observed a sharp drop in voltage when the dendrites contacted the separator.

"As soon as a growing dendrite touches the red phosphorus, it gives a signal in the charging voltage," Tour said. "When the battery management system senses that, it can say, 'Stop charging, don't use.'"

Last year, the lab introduced carbon nanotube films that appear to completely halt dendrite growth from lithium metal anodes.

"By combining the two recent advances, the growth of lithium dendrites can be mitigated, and there is an internal insurance policy that the battery will shut down in the unlikely event that even a single dendrite will start to grow toward the cathode," Tour said.

"Literally, when you make a new battery, you're making over a billion of them," he said. "Might a couple of those fail? It only takes a few fires for people to get really antsy. Our work provides a further guarantee for battery safety. We're proposing another layer of protection that should be simple to implement."

Research paper


Related Links
Rice University
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


ENERGY TECH
Fuel Cell electric buses ready to deliver zero-emission transit throughout US
Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Feb 13, 2019
Ballard Power Systems has announced that the New Flyer Industries Canada ULC and New Flyer of America Inc. (collectively "New Flyer") 40-foot and 60-foot Xcelsior fuel cell-electric buses (FCEBs), powered by Ballard FCveloCity-HD 85 kilowatt (kW) modules, have completed rigorous testing at The Altoona Bus Research and Testing Center under a program established by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). With this important accomplishment, New Flyer's 40-foot and 60-foot FCEBs, using Ballard's FCv ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ENERGY TECH
The future of human spaceflight in America

Refabricator to recycle, reuse plastic installed on Space Station

New research opportunities on International Space Station

Richard Branson says he'll fly to space by July

ENERGY TECH
Arianespace orbits two telecommunications satellites on first Ariane 5 launch of 2019

SpaceX no-load test delayed

Launch of Unmanned US Dragon 2 Spacecraft to ISS Set for March 2

Learning on the Job: Student Rocket Launches From Norway

ENERGY TECH
Curiosity Mars Rover Departs Vera Rubin Ridge

More than 835 recovery commands have been sent to Opportunity

ESA's Mars rover has a name - Rosalind Franklin

Beyond Mars, the Mini MarCO Spacecraft Fall Silent

ENERGY TECH
Seed of moon's first sprout: Chinese scientists' endeavor

China to send over 50 spacecraft into space via over 30 launches in 2019

China to deepen lunar exploration: space expert

China launches Zhongxing-2D satellite

ENERGY TECH
Egypt to Host African Space Agency's Headquarters - Foreign Ministry

Science on a plane - ESA's next parabolic flight campaign

Iridium Declares Victory; $3 Billion Satellite Constellation Upgrade Complete

Recreating space on Earth - two facilities join ESA's platforms for spaceflight research

ENERGY TECH
Lefty or righty molecules lend a hand to material structures

Architecting a new breed of high performance computing for virtual training environments

Using artificial intelligence to engineer materials' properties

Blockchain provides security, traceability for smart manufacturing

ENERGY TECH
Study shows unusual microbes hold clues to early life

Massive collision in the planetary system Kepler 107

ASU scientists study organization of life on a planetary scale

Magnifying glass reveals unexpected intermediate mass exoplanets

ENERGY TECH
New Horizons' evocative farewell glance at Ultima Thule

Sodium, Not Heat, Reveals Volcanic Activity on Jupiter's Moon Io

New Horizons' Newest and Best-Yet View of Ultima Thule

Missing link in planet evolution found









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.