Manganese disordered rock salt cathodes developed at Berkeley Lab, show promise of improving lithium-ion battery performance. This alternate material could replace scarce and more expensive nickel and cobalt, and reduce the future cost of renewable energy. But there could be benefits for smartphone and electric vehicle battery users too.
Tell Me More About Manganese Disordered Rock Salt
Disordered rock salts (DRX) are a relatively new opportunity for battery science. Their disordered atomic arrangement offers potential for higher storage capacity, with greater sustainability too.
“There are many ways to generate power with renewable energy,” a Berkeley PHD student explains. But the importance lies in how you store it.”
Researchers previously believed they had to grind down disordered rock salt materials finely, for optimal performance. However, the new Berkeley findings reveal that one-thousand-times-larger manganese disordered rock salt granules work even better, reducing manufacturing costs further.
Interesting Engineering describes how the Berkeley team converted their manganese to a disordered variant:
- First, they removed the lithium ions from the cathode material.
- Then they heated the cathode at a low 200º celsius temperature.
- This process was much faster than ‘the old way taking three weeks’.
So Let’s Explain How This Information Matters
Demand for low cost and energy efficient battery storage is increasing rapidly, as never before. This is because the world needs the technology to shift to renewable energy. The Berkeley Lab findings matter to us all, because without this change we could face increasing temperatures and more violent storms.
“By applying our new approach,” a Berkeley team member explains, “we can use a material that is both earth-abundant and low-cost. One that takes less energy and time to produce than some commercial materials, and it can store as much energy and work just as well.”
More Information
Lithium Ion Manganese Oxide Batteries
