TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientists from
Honda Research Institute have collaborated with researchers at
California Institute of Technology
(Caltech) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop a new
battery chemistry that enables the use of materials with higher
energy density and a more favorable environmental footprint than
current battery technologies. The collective team of scientists
co-authored a new paper on the topic that was published in
Science and is available at
http://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aat7070.
The joint study reports that the research team has opened new
doors in the development of high energy-density batteries capable
of meeting rapidly growing energy storage needs by overcoming the
current temperature limitations of fluoride-based battery (FIB)
technology and by demonstrating the room-temperature operation of
fluoride-ion based energy cells.
"Fluoride-ion batteries offer a promising new battery chemistry
with up to ten times more energy density than currently available
Lithium batteries," said Dr. Christopher
Brooks, Chief Scientist, Honda Research Institute, and a
co-author of the paper. "Unlike Li-ion batteries, FIBs do not
pose a safety risk due to overheating, and obtaining the source
materials for FIBs creates considerably less environmental impact
than the extraction process for lithium and cobalt."
FIBs provide an attractive alternative to other types of
potential high-energy battery electrochemistries, such as those
based on lithium- or metal hydride chemistries, which are generally
limited by the inherent properties of their electrodes. Due to the
low atomic weight of fluorine, rechargeable batteries based on the
element could offer very high energy densities–up to 10 times
greater than the theoretical values for lithium-ion technologies.
However, while FIBs are considered a strong contender for the
"next-generation" of high-density energy storage devices, they are
limited by their required temperature requirements.
Currently, solid-state fluoride ion-conducting battery
iterations need to operate at elevated temperatures–above 150
degrees Celsius–to make the electrolyte fluoride-conducting.
According to the paper's authors, these limitations in the
electrolyte have presented a significant challenge for achieving
low-temperature operating FIBs.
To address this, the research team found a method for creating a
fluoride-ion electrochemical cell capable of operating at room
temperature–a breakthrough made possible by a chemically stable
liquid fluoride-conducting electrolyte with high ionic conductivity
and a wide operating voltage. The scientists developed the
electrolyte using dry tetraalkylammonium fluoride salts dissolved
in an organic, fluorinated ether solvent. When paired with a
composite cathode featuring a core-shell nanostructure of copper,
lanthanum and fluorine, the researchers demonstrated reversible
electrochemical cycling at room temperature.
In the future, FIBs could power battery-electric vehicles. The
higher-capacity nature of the battery makes it a good candidate for
power products as well.
Honda Research Institute USA, Inc.
Honda Research Institute
USA, Inc. was established in
2003 as North America's
advanced research center that provides innovative
solutions to complex problems with direct applications
to Honda's current and future technology roadmap. The
team of scientists and engineers at Honda Research Institute create
technologies, often generated through a scientific process,
and apply them to real situations, addressing more than just
abstract principles. Its core principles include maintaining a
commitment to high quality and innovative research that
supports Honda's short and long-term strategy, and fostering
an open innovation model that establishes partnerships and
alliances with academia and the private sector. Learn more at
https://usa.honda-ri.com/.
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SOURCE Honda