According to a recent announcement, IBM Research, the development department of the IT group IBM, has developed a battery that is said to be cheaper, more efficient and more environmentally friendly than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Using new and different proprietary materials that have never been combined in a battery, the team at IBM Research claims to have discovered a chemistry for a new type of battery that does not use heavy metals such as cobalt and nickel or other substances with procurement problems ,
This new research could help reduce the need for heavy metals in battery production and thereby improve the long-term sustainability of various elements of the energy infrastructure. Because a lot of battery materials, including nickel and cobalt, involve ecological and humanitarian risks. Cobalt in particular, which comes from the Congo conflict region, among others, has come under fire due to the inattentive and exploitative mining practices there.
The materials for the new IBM battery, on the other hand, can be obtained from sea water, according to a message, and thus form the basis for less invasive procurement techniques than current methods of material degradation.
Cheaper, faster, more powerful, safer?
Just as promising as the composition of this new battery is its performance potential. Initial tests are said to show that they can outperform lithium-ion batteries in a number of individual categories, including lower costs, faster charging times, higher performance and energy density, high energy efficiency and low flammability.
The new battery design was discovered in the IBM Research Battery Lab and uses a cobalt- and nickel-free cathode material and a safe, high-flash liquid electrolyte. This unique combination of cathode and electrolyte demonstrated the ability to suppress lithium metal dendrites during charging and thereby reduce flammability, which is generally considered to be a major disadvantage for the use of lithium metal as an anode material.
This discovery holds great potential for Batteries from electric cars, where the issues of flammability, costs and charging time play a very important role. Current tests show that the IBM battery, which is configured for high performance, should take less than five minutes to reach a charge level of 80 percent. In combination with the relatively low cost of material procurement, the goal of a very quickly rechargeable yet inexpensive electric car could become a reality, according to IBM.
With a power density of 10,000 watts per liter, the IBM battery surpasses common lithium-ion technologies. The energy density of 800 Wh per liter is on the level of current batteries. In addition, tests should have shown that the IBM battery can be designed for a long life cycle. This makes them an option for smart grid applications and new energy infrastructures where durability and stability are critical.
From laboratory to industry with automotive, electrolyte and battery manufacturers
To transition this new battery from early exploratory research to commercial development, IBM Research has partnered with Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Central Glass, a world leader in battery electrolytes, and battery manufacturer Sidus To create the next generation battery development ecosystem. This should help to put the new battery technology into practice.
The IBM team has also implemented Artificial Intelligence (AI) to further improve battery performance by identifying safer and more powerful materials. Using machine learning techniques, human researchers can access knowledge from millions of data points to support their hypothesis. In the next steps, researchers should be able to accelerate the pace of innovation in this important research area.
Source: IBM Research – press release dated December 18, 2019
