Professor Michael Toney believes he has solved an underlying riddle in every electric car battery – namely why it deteriorates and breaks down over time.
Batteries – including those in electric cars – lose their capacity over time. But the reason has never been properly elucidated or explained for now, says Michael Toney.
He has led a team of international researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder who have looked at the problem – and they believe they have actually found the answer.
The lithium-ion battery is one of the world's most used for power storage. But even though it contains cobalt, which is an environmentally harmful substance, we haven't really succeeded in finding anything better.
Nickel and magnesium as substitutes do not work as well anyway. On the contrary, the materials only reduce how much current can be stored.
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The research team from CBU has concluded that the lithium-ion battery's self-discharge is due to hydrogen molecules finding their way to the battery's so-called cathode, on which lithium ions normally settle. Unfortunately, there is no room for both parts. And it degrades the battery.
– We discovered that the more lithium you pull out of the cathode during charging, the more hydrogen atoms accumulate on the surface, says Gang Wan, who is co-author of the research report and thus the results, in an interview published on CBU's website.
The process itself, where the hydrogen molecules 'steal' the space, causes the batteries to discharge on their own. A mechanical load that can cause the cathode to crack and thus accelerate the degradation of the battery pack itself.
Now the international research team hopes that their discovery can lead to the invention of a new kind of coating around the cathode that can repel the hydrogen molecules.
Another thing is that the battery packs can also cause violent fires. A report from the American authorities has just determined why a burning Tesla closed a highway for 16 hours, while 189,000 liters of water had to be used for the extinguishing work. Read more about it here .
Read more exciting news from and about the world of cars right here!
