Analysis of Lithium-ion Battery Bionic Technology

We know that all human inspiration is a gift from nature, and the inspiration for developing the latest technology comes from nature: In order to more quickly infuse liquid electrolytes into the porous electrodes of lithium-ion batteries, scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany have used a physical and chemical effect similar to the way trees transport water to develop a new technology that can significantly shorten time and reduce production costs.

The electrodes inside modern batteries are porous like a sponge, but unlike household sponges, the pores are micrometers in size. This gives the battery a large surface area, providing space for the chemical processes of charging and discharging. With this premise, it is possible to develop batteries for electric vehicles that have a long range and charge quickly.

To optimize the function, all electrode pores must be filled with electrolyte. Liquid electrolytes are transport media, through which charged ions flow between the positive and negative electrodes in the battery. Without electrolyte, there is no load balance in the battery and no current can flow outside. However, all high-energy batteries currently used in the automotive industry have poor wettability of the electrode surface by the electrolyte. In order to make the electrolyte penetrate as much as possible into all pores in order to maximize battery performance, battery manufacturers have to spend a lot of time and money to force the liquid into the electrode material using expensive and time-consuming vacuum and low-temperature storage processes.

The use of the newly developed process can greatly shorten the production time from several hours to a few minutes. To achieve this amazing effect, German scientists have imitated natural phenomena to a certain extent, using mechanical chemical technology to transform electrodes so that they can absorb electrolytes as effectively as trees absorb water. In this way, the electrolyte can quickly fill the entire surface and even significantly improve the performance of related batteries. With the innovative transformation of electrodes, scientists have achieved the research and development goals of significantly shortening the production time of lithium-ion battery electrolyte injection and reducing production costs.