The
lithium-ion batteries that power most of our modern gadgets are
notoriously inefficient, low in capacity, and prone to degradation.
Larger batteries and fast charging mitigate these issues somewhat, but
there is no true solution providing a denser, more reliable
cell technology. Problem is, none of the many, many proposed
alternatives have made it past the prototype stage, or even the
theoretical stage. But Sony’s forging ahead nonetheless: according to Japanese publication Nikkei,
the electronics company’s finalizing a design that could carry up to 40
percent more energy than conventional lithium-ion cells, and the firm
could begin marketing the technology as soon as 2020.
The
magic bullet is sulfur, apparently. Sony’s new batteries are based on a
hybrid lithium-sulfur design: they swap the plain negative electrode in
lithium-ion batteries for a sulfur-based one, and retain the
lithium-based positive electrode. That has allowed the company to
dramatically increase energy density — up to 1,000Wh/L, or 40 percent
larger than your run-of-the-mill, 700Wh/L lithium-ion battery.
Another
important benefit of sulfur? It’s cheap; a spokeswoman for Oxis Energy,
an energy startup that’s also refining lithium-sulfur tech, told PV Magazine
that “the overall cost of the materials is less” and that the
“predicted costs of lithium sulfur when production is ramped up is lower
than competing lithium ion technologies.”
Lithium-sulfur batteries aren’t new. An international team of researchers from South Korea and Italy produced a 750mAh rechargeable sulfur-lithium ion battery earlier this year. Oxis intends to commercialize its sulfur-lithium batteries in 2016. And Tuscon, Arizona-based company Sion Power has partnered with Airbus to test 350 Wh lithium-sulfur power packs.
But despite their promise, lithium-sulfur batteries aren’t without their inherent flaws — according to the American Institute of Physics, sulfur’s tendency to dissolve into the battery’s liquid electrolyte means the batteries don’t typically last long.
Sony
has presumably developed a countermeasure, possibly involving graphene.
When used as a physical barrier inside sulfur-lithium batteries, the
highly conductive material facilitates the transfer of electrons while
preventing exposure to the electrolyte.
And Sony’s
got a backup plan, too: magnesium-sulfur batteries. These eschew the
lithium altogether for a denser, more efficient, and less fire-prone
cell than can be offered by lithium-ion designs. Unlike sulfur,
magnesium doesn’t degrade in the electrolyte, and the element is cheap
and abundant. But magnesium-based batteries have their own Achilles
heel: low capacities and low voltage.
That’s likely why Sony’s sticking with lithium-sulpher for now. It told
Nikkei that if all goes according to plan, it’ll start mass-producing
laminated sulfur-lithium batteries — the sort bound for consumer
electronics such as smartphones, laptops, and digital cameras — within
the next few years.
By: Kyle Wiggers (Digital Trends).
Review: Emerging Market Formulations & Research Unit, Flagship Records.
For The #FacebookTeam