Tiny silicon particles could power lithium ion batteries with 10 times more capacity

Tiny silicon particles could power lithium ion batteries with 10 times more capacity

University of Alberta chemists have taken a critical step toward creating a new generation of silicon-based lithium ion batteries with 10 times the charge capacity of current cells.

"We wanted to test how different sizes of silicon nanoparticles could affect fracturing inside these batteries," said Jillian Buriak, a U of A chemist and Canada Research Chair in Nanomaterials for Energy.

Silicon shows promise for building much higher-capacity batteries because it's abundant and can absorb much more lithium than the graphite used in current lithium ion batteries. The problem is that silicon is prone to fracturing and breaking after numerous charge-and-discharge cycles, because it expands and contracts as it absorbs and releases lithium ions

Anything using a battery could potentially benefit from this kind of technological breakthrough. The one thing that is really holding back renewable energy is storage capacity. Solar power is great during the day and wind power is great while it is windy, but after dark or in calm weather, they don't do squat. Our grid is designed for just in time delivery of power with almost no capacity for storing power for times when the demand outweighs the supply. After dark your fancy solar power station is doing nothing. With greater ability to store power for later use, renewables become a more viable solution for "the grid" than they currently are.

The research has potential applications in "anything that relies upon energy storage using a battery," said Veinot, who is the director of the ATUMS graduate student training program that partially supported the research.

"Imagine a car having the same size battery as a Tesla that could travel 10 times farther or you charge 10 times less frequently, or the battery is 10 times lighter."

Veinot said the next steps are to develop a faster, less expensive way to create silicon nanoparticles to make them more accessible for industry and technology developers.

I wonder what the current costs of creating the silicon nanoparticles is now. This sounds promising.

originally posted by: BomSquad
Tiny silicon particles could power lithium ion batteries with 10 times more capacity

University of Alberta chemists have taken a critical step toward creating a new generation of silicon-based lithium ion batteries with 10 times the charge capacity of current cells.

"We wanted to test how different sizes of silicon nanoparticles could affect fracturing inside these batteries," said Jillian Buriak, a U of A chemist and Canada Research Chair in Nanomaterials for Energy.

Silicon shows promise for building much higher-capacity batteries because it's abundant and can absorb much more lithium than the graphite used in current lithium ion batteries. The problem is that silicon is prone to fracturing and breaking after numerous charge-and-discharge cycles, because it expands and contracts as it absorbs and releases lithium ions

Anything using a battery could potentially benefit from this kind of technological breakthrough. The one thing that is really holding back renewable energy is storage capacity. Solar power is great during the day and wind power is great while it is windy, but after dark or in calm weather, they don't do squat. Our grid is designed for just in time delivery of power with almost no capacity for storing power for times when the demand outweighs the supply. After dark your fancy solar power station is doing nothing. With greater ability to store power for later use, renewables become a more viable solution for "the grid" than they currently are.

The research has potential applications in "anything that relies upon energy storage using a battery," said Veinot, who is the director of the ATUMS graduate student training program that partially supported the research.

"Imagine a car having the same size battery as a Tesla that could travel 10 times farther or you charge 10 times less frequently, or the battery is 10 times lighter."

Veinot said the next steps are to develop a faster, less expensive way to create silicon nanoparticles to make them more accessible for industry and technology developers.

I wonder what the current costs of creating the silicon nanoparticles is now. This sounds promising.

It is amazing how fast battery tech is developing.

I was a very early adopter using LiPo batteries in RC cars converting 1/8th scale nitro cars to electric. Basically same tech used in Teslas. Back in 2006/2007 the batteries were very volatile and would often "go nuclear". They also couldn't handle the power draw very well. Now the batteries seem to be rock solid. I can fully charge some of my batteries in less than 10 minutes with no ill effects. It used to take like 1 hour to recharge.

a reply to: Edumakated


You should watch the episode of NOVA on batteries if you haven't yet.
NOVA:Search for the Super Battery

We live in an age when technological innovation seems to be limitlessly soaring. But for all the satisfying speed with which our gadgets have improved, many of them share a frustrating weakness: the batteries. Though they have improved in last century, batteries remain finicky, bulky, expensive, toxic, and maddeningly short-lived. The quest is on for a “super battery,” and the stakes in this hunt are much higher than the phone in your pocket. With climate change looming, electric cars and renewable energy sources like wind and solar power could hold keys to a greener future...if we can engineer the perfect battery. Join host David Pogue as he explores the hidden world of energy storage, from the power—and danger—of the lithium-ion batteries we use today, to the bold innovations that could one day charge our world.

It covers a few really cool battery tech.

As we push for higher and higher energy density in storage tech, the risk of spectacular failures increases as well. This sort of tech needs extra thorough testing prior to public release to be certain the potential bugs have been sorted out but plenty of manufacturers will, as always, cut corners to increase profits.

There'll still be 'oops never considered that possibility' moments regardless of how much care is taken

Fascinating, I can't wait for a solar powered self-driving car/living space. Even if they could just make batteries last longer that would also be a great improvement. I also find ocean wave generators & kinetic flywheel energy storage systems fascinating.

youtu.be...

a reply to: JBIZZ


Well I have just had a test drive of my self assembled e bike with a 15 amp hour lithium ion battery , on a 500 watt mid drive motor at 36 volts, thinking that the level one assist would be hardly anything, it took off like a rocket ship. So if the reports are true with regards to the range, I can see these taking off big time. If they can get the batteries even more efficient this e transport will be the future.

The same kind of problem persists in Lithium Sulfur batteries, where as the sulfur expands and contracts to much when its charged and discharged. In the Lithium Silicon batteries their expansion rate is HUGE and that is what causes the cracking, as Li22Si5 anodes expand something like 320%. It appears to me that there needs to be some kind of flexible polymer binding developed for either of those battery types to find a mass market.

The researchers tested silicon nanoparticles of 4 extraordinary sizes, frivolously dispersed inside especially conductive graphene aerogels, product of carbon with nanoscopic pores, to make amends for silicon's low conductivity. They determined that the smallest particles—just three billionths of a metre in diameter—confirmed the satisfactory long-time period balance after many charging and discharging cycles.

a reply to: Guyfriday

I loved that episode of Nova, especially the part with the "indestructible" battery they kept cutting up with scissors while still drawing power from it without it bursting into flames.

Ah, science is slowly approaching a battery design I came up with, at the age of 14.

This is one more foot closer to it.

Yeah, no bs, the designs' major advantage is immense energy storage capability.

My design also made use of silicon in very specific ways. Not bad, science. Hurry up and get at me.

My smartphones battery has just started acting up (frequent recharging) It probably won't last long enough to see a new battery in mass demand which is probably 5-10 years from now.
It's amazing how compact and light these batteries have become because computers used to take up a large room and now fit in your pocket. If the batteries are capable of storing excess power from the grid that would save us a lot of energy being wasted.

I can see the technology being used quite a lot for drones as well.
Police Drones* - You know it's going to happen.

a reply to: Archivalist

silicon and sulfur with lines of graphene penetrating it for conductivity in a Lithium base?

or are you getting more exotic and making it more of a lithium-hydrogen battery in a solution of water?

I am personally partial to zirconium sprinkled in instead of silicon.

a reply to: BomSquad

I've followed the battery development scene for sometime. The likelihood of this actually panning out is next to zero. Countless new "breakthroughs" get announced. Most of them have insurmountable obstacles from the start that aren't acknowledged in the press release which consign the marvelous advance to oblivion...after someone gets their funding, doctorate, and tenure.