Solid state battery technology

Why in news?

• Volkswagen plans to have production running for solid-state batteries by 2025 via the partnership with QuantumScape.

What is solid state battery?

• A solid-state battery is a battery technology that uses solid electrodes and a solid electrolyte, instead of the liquid or polymer gel electrolytes found in lithium-ion batteries.

• The replacement of the separator enables the use of a lithium-metal anode in place of the traditional carbon/graphite anode.
• The lithium metal anode is more energy-dense than conventional anodes, which allows the battery to store more energy in the same volume.
• While solid electrolytes were first discovered in the 19th century, several drawbacks, such as low energy densities, have prevented widespread application.
• Developments in early 21st century have caused renewed interest in solid-state battery technologies, especially in the context of electric vehicles, starting in the 2010s.

Significance of solid-state batteries:

• While lithium-ion batteries are seen as sufficiently efficient for phones and laptops, they still lack the range that would make EVs a viable alternative to internal combustion engines.
• Despite improvements in technology over the last decade, issues such as long charging times and weak energy density persist.
• One major problem is that lithium metal is extremely reactive.
• The main form of lithium corrosion are dendrites, which are branched lithium structures that grow out from the electrode and can potentially pierce through the separator and on to the other end, short-circuiting the cell.
• In current lithium-ion batteries, in which the electrolyte is a flammable liquid, dendrite formation can trigger a fire.

Key advantages solid-state battery technology:

• Higher cell energy density (by eliminating the carbon anode)
• Lower charge time (by eliminating the need to have lithium diffuse into the carbon particles in conventional lithium-ion cells)
• Ability to undertake more charging cycles and thereby a longer life
• Improved safety
• Lower cost

PRACTICE QUESTION

In the context of lithium-ion battery technology, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Lithium metal anode is more energy-dense than carbon or graphite anode.

2. In current lithium-ion batteries electrolyte is a flammable liquid.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

                      C

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