Solid-state lithium battery technology has achieved a breakthrough, and industrialization has accelerated!

According to media reports, a research team at the University of Houston recently proved that by changing the electrode microstructure through a solvent-assisted process, the energy density of organic-based solid-state lithium batteries can be increased to twice the previous level.

It is understood that researchers are developing low-cost, abundant in crustal reserves, cobalt-free organic-based solid-state battery positive electrode materials. This research will play an important role in promoting the development of more sustainable electric vehicles .

At present, batteries have become the key for new energy vehicle companies to gain market advantages. Among the research and development of many battery technologies, solid-state batteries are recognized by the market as the next generation of battery technology, and solid-state batteries have therefore received widespread attention around the world.

Specifically, giant companies such as Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, and Samsung have invested a lot of money in solid-state battery research.

The market predicts that by 2030, global demand for solid-state batteries is expected to reach 500GWh. According to conservative estimates by experts, the market size will exceed 300 billion yuan.

There are three mainstream technical routes for solid-state batteries on the market: polymer, sulfide, and oxide all-solid-state battery.

Each technology route has its advantages and disadvantages. Representative companies in the market are Toyota, which chose the sulfide route, Ilika, which chose the oxide route, and French company Bollore, which chose the polymer route.

From the perspective of sulfide technology, Toyota is the first company to enter the research of all-solid-state batteries, and its technical direction is mainly based on the sulfide route. Comparatively speaking, the sulfide technology route is easier to integrate. However, from the perspective of chemical properties, oxide solid-state batteries have higher stability, while sulfur-based batteries are relatively poor. There is not much difference in other indicators such as conductivity and interface impedance.

From the perspective of polymer technology route, compared with sulfur and oxides, the polymer technology route does not have an advantage, but in terms of integration, the polymer technology route still has some advantages.

The manufacturing cost of polymer solid-state batteries is also a disadvantage. France's Bollore solid-state batteries have actually been equipped with more than 2,000 cars, but they have no advantage in thermal management. Polymer solid-state batteries must ensure the temperature difference of the battery, and have high requirements for thermal management of the battery, which creates a heavy burden and requires high energy and cost, which increases the difficulty of mass production of polymer solid-state batteries.

The market believes that the sulfur system is very good, and the various indicators and demonstration effects of sulfide solid-state batteries after installation are good. However, Toyota announced in 2017 and 2018 that it would mass-produce all-solid-state batteries in three years, but in fact, it has not yet been mass-produced. The main reason for not mass-producing, or the biggest problem, is that the chemical stability of the sulfur system is relatively poor, which leads to the need for additional protection measures on the production line, and more protection methods need to be considered in the design, including packaging.

In terms of oxide technology route, oxide also has technical difficulties, but once the technical difficulties of oxide all-solid-state batteries are overcome, its cost competitiveness will be very strong in commercial use and large-scale mass production.

It is still impossible to judge which technical route will ultimately win.