Most Complete Battery Study Ever Revealed

European researchers released a ground-breaking report on May 30, 2019. Some scientists go as far as describing it as the most complete battery study ever. That’s because researchers benefited from access to the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). This is a joint research facility using an electron gun to peer deep into materials. Scientists had only been able to study individual particles or areas in batteries, prior to this study.

Most Complete Battery Study Ever Provides First Global View

Phys.Org reveals the ESRF enabled the researchers to obtain the first global views of microscopic battery structures. Their findings complement existing studies in battery literature to provide remarkable insights into battery failure. The core finding is consumer batteries lose power at uneven rates due to heterogeneity in cells.

Moreover, the ESRF facility revealed for the first time how batteries charge in layers. “The mobile phone may indicate it’s complete when the top surface level is finished charging. But the bottom will be below full charge,” the scientists report.

Batteries as You’ve Never Seen Them Before

Not Every Particle in a Battery Behaves the Same Way

Prior to the most complete battery study ever as peer groups hail it, scientists had to rely on snapshot views. They had no way of knowing whether the other particles behaved the same. However the synchrotron X-ray microscopy tools at the ESRF facility enabled them to overcome this.

“Hard X-ray phase contrast-nano-tomography showed us each particle at remarkable resolution across the full electrode thickness,” they explain. “This allowed us to track the level of damage in each of them after using the battery.” Their rationale was you have to understand the contribution of every particle to make a better battery.

The researchers hope their diagnostic methods will enable improved electrode designs in fast-charging batteries. And we believe they most likely will.