[Part 7] Comprehensive insights into solid-state battery water-based electrolyte

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water-based electrolyte

Traditional lithium-ion technology is still evolving, which is likely to have an impact on SSB advancements. Water-based electrolytes are one particular development that could increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries without using nickel or cobalt in the electrodes. Because these electrolytes are water-based, they reduce the risk of fire in the event of a short circuit and can operate in temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius, a key advantage over existing lithium-ion battery packs. An aqueous electrolyte is being combined with other advances in cathode design to improve performance by 60%, and with silicon anodes to further improve performance. However, this also faces the same challenge as SSB, namely how to integrate it into the production process for mass application of electric vehicles.

 

in conclusion:

SSB is driving a lot of innovation in the electric vehicle space. New materials, new structures and new processes are emerging that can provide higher levels of energy density and power while being safer than lithium-ion batteries. However, bringing these technologies to market for engineers to use also presents significant challenges. A transitional step to a "semi-solid" electrolyte that can be added to existing production lines will improve battery pack performance by 10-20% for the next generation of high-end cars. However, new, more efficient manufacturing technologies enabled by new materials will lead to dramatic changes in the way battery packs are designed and manufactured. This will have a knock-on effect on the overall design of electric platforms on the ground and in the air.

 

Improvements in key technologies require the integration of factors such as high voltage, high capacity cathodes, solid electrolytes and metallic lithium. Currently, solid-state battery research focuses on understanding and evaluating battery chemistry. However, for the overall energy density of the battery, the selection of materials, balance of electrodes, and evaluation of processing and integration methods are critical. SolidPAC estimates cell-level energy density based on user-supplied chemistry, component configuration, and processing parameters. It also provides avenues for "reverse engineering" to engineer electrode thicknesses and loading to achieve energy density goals. Battery-level capacity estimates are based on user-supplied battery pack range/energy/power and battery pack/module/cell configuration. These calculations are carried over from a BatPac similar to that developed for conventional lithium-ion batteries. Combining user-provided battery-level capacity, negative and positive electrode structure information, and material information in inventory, the materials required to manufacture the battery can be estimated. The input cell design parameters are then used to perform calculations of component size and cell-level energy density.