A partnership to develop solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for lithium batteries has been made between Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Japanese chemical manufacturer Piotrek.
The companies hope to fast-track the development and commercialisation of an SPE for use in high-energy (4.5-5V) lithium batteries for electric vehicles and drones by 2025.
Researchers will use CSIRO’s proprietary RAFT (Reversible Addition-Fragmentation chain Transfer) polymer technology and Piotrek’s ion conducting polymers (ICP).
RAFT technology allows researchers to tune our SPEs’ properties to expand versatility for different types of batteries and fuel cells, as well as reducing the cost of device assembly and manufacture.
General manager at Piotrek, Ihei Sada, said: “This partnership will help Piotrek make our batteries safer and more efficient, and with our industry reach, we will get our advanced batteries to the market faster.
Solid-state lithium batteries typically use a lithium metal anode to boost energy density more than two times over conventional anodes and, because they don’t contain flammable electrolytes, are seen as safer than traditional lithium-ion batteries.
CSIRO is also working with Piotrek to automate electrolyte processes using robots, and to license a new electrolyte recipe.
Other solid-state battery news
Solid Power has begun manufacturing its first fully automated all-solid-state battery on its fully operational pilot production line in the US.
Swiss researchers have lifted the lid on electromechanical processes that take place in solid-state batteries in a move they say could make the technology safer and more efficient for use in electric vehicles.
The team from Graz University of Technology, the Technical University of Munich and Belgian university UCLouvain, have developed a crystalline ionic conductor, which exhibits high lithium-ion mobility.
