Research Pathway of Rechargeable Batteries for 2030

Abstract

An increase in the dependency on energy has made it inevitable for the humankind to explore storage devices to harness the energy. This necessity has propelled the evolution of Batteries as energy storage devices. The high production of electronic gadgets, portable battery-powered equipment, and electric vehicles has led to the soaring demand for highly optimized and better performance battery systems. With the invention of Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) in 1991 by Sony, the focus of the Industrial-centred research has shifted towards LIBs and improving its performance parameters such as energy density and cycle life with enhanced safety. Decades of research on the lithium-ion batteries by Nobel Prize awardee in the year 2019 and several other veterans across the planet. In order to protect the planet, the major focus has shifted towards creating sustainable and environmentally friendly electrode (anode & cathode) and electrolyte materials for the e-mobility. The state-of-the-art of electrode materials are developed by optimization of design and process to improve the safety and improve the fast-charging capability with enhanced cycle life batteries for the e-transportation [1-6].

To facilitate this, from the material perspective, authors  improve the performance of the battery by adopting the feasibility of silicon-based composite, lithium metal-based anodes and nickel rich of the LNMC/LNCA cathode and exploring new electrolytes including the solid electrolyte for solid-state batteries for the industrial scalable system. Further, the exigent need for the extrusion of toxic and expensive elements such as Cobalt in the NMC based lithium-ion batteries to eliminate the range anxiety and fast charging to meet the consumer requirement. Further, the testing including the fast charging is often concern thermal stability that is jeopardizing safety of the LIBs and may be led to thermal runaway and explode under abuse operations which is more prone with organic solvent-based liquid electrolyte-based batteries.

To improve the thermal stability of the liquid electrolyte-based LIBs, the designing of the battery components that is to replace liquid electrolyte with solid electrolyte and thereby lamenting the trade-offs of thermal runaway. The solid electrolyte based solid-state battery (SSBs)   however face engineering challenges that is interfacial characteristics, intergranular cracking, and parasitic reactions on the surface of electrode are intensive research. In the present study attempted to surface treatment on the electrodes and adoption of additive manufacturing process are being explored to improve the superior performance with enhanced cycle life of the battery. 

From the battery system engineering perspective, we elucidate the electronic control and the thermal management of the battery management system (BMS). Active cell balancing through the efficient BMS protects the battery from overcharging, deep discharging, and thermal runaway.[7] With fervent research towards the LIBs for decades and extensive usage and even with the recycling of used LIBs from electric vehicles, the saturation of the lithium metal is around the corner. This hurls the research on the LIBs to be expensive. To lessen this effect, the focus should be shifted to accommodate other potential battery technologies such as Sodium-Sulphur, Aluminium-Sulphur, Magnesium-Sulphur, etc, are considerable alternative to the existing LIB technology and expected to would ease out the burden on the LIBs. 

This article critically presents the holistic information of the rechargeable batteries from the material perspective, designing of battery components, battery system engineering, and scope for the industry and research fraternity to go beyond LIBs (Fig. 1). With reports citing that by 2030, the sale of Electric Vehicles would expected to be peak on the road, as much as 30 million, it is pivotal to comprehensively understand these aspects to complement the development of a sustainable and superior battery technology.