Operating stability, and end-of-life recycling have become increasingly important, as battery safety becomes an issue. But how good are we really at doing these things, American Chemical Society pondered on October 5, 2023. We can’t claim to have seen blistering progress since then, although there are signs of improvement.
We discuss new battery technologies today, and safety improvements to old technologies. Then we examine the need to regulate battery suppliers, and what to do with batteries at the end of their design life.
Will New Designs Enhance Battery Safety?
A number of new batteries using non-flammable, water-based electrolytes have emerged. Other battery manufacturers have advanced solid-state technology with stable electrolytes.
Battery safety has also improved, thanks to on-board thermal management systems that help prevent overheating. However, world governments have been disappointingly slow in outlawing cheap imports and rogue battery brands.
Global governments also seem to have stalled when it comes to end-of-life battery management. All battery chemistries eventually degrade to the point we can no longer use them. But we are not doing particularly well with recovering their materials either.
Where Should Battery Design Focus Next?
Battery overheating, and thermal runaway break out in battery electrolytes. So this is probably where research should begin, in lithium-ion-based batteries at least. We need better electrolytes to promote smoother plating and de-plating of active ions, while also reaching out towards greater density.
However, we also need to focus on battery material recycling in parallel. There has been a sharp uptick in consumer batteries in transport sectors. Some of their materials are in limited supply. Most of them involve disruptive mining, consuming large amounts of energy.
Battery safety is one thing of course, and it is very important. Perhaps we should add ease of recycling to our criteria for next gen batteries. Safety and energy density do matter. But we should also remember that we have entered a phase where we must learn to live responsibly too.
More Information
Thermal Runaway in LFP and NMC Batteries
