New study shows lithium metal batteries can be recharged in one hour

According to foreign media reports, in a new study, researchers said that fast-charging lithium metal batteries can be charged in as little as one hour.

(Image credit: University of California, San Diego)

This is thanks to lithium metal crystals, which form and grow quickly and uniformly on the unique surface. The trick is to use a crystal growth surface that lithium doesn't "like". What interests battery researchers is that "these seed crystals grow a uniform, dense layer of lithium metal" that reduces dendrites. The formation of dendrites on the negative electrode of the battery is a long-term obstacle to the development of fast-charging and ultra-energy-density lithium metal batteries.

The study was led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego. The new method allows lithium metal batteries to be charged in about an hour, comparable to current lithium-ion batteries. UC San Diego, in collaboration with imaging researchers at UC Irvine, published a progress report on the development of fast-charging lithium metal batteries in the journal Nature Energy on February 9, 2023.

To grow lithium metal crystals, the researchers replaced the ubiquitous copper surface on the negative electrode of lithium metal batteries with a lithiophobic nanocomposite surface made of lithium fluoride and iron. This lithiophobic surface is exploited for lithium deposition, which forms lithium crystal seeds and grows a dense lithium layer, even at high charge rates. The result is a long-cycle-life lithium metal battery that can be charged quickly.

Researcher Professor Ping Liu said: "The findings of this study lie in this special nanocomposite surface. The researchers challenged the traditional idea of ​​what kind of surface is needed to grow lithium crystals. The common belief is that lithium grows on the surface it likes. Grows better on, i.e., lithiophilic surfaces. In this work, the researchers demonstrate that this is not always true, using a bottom layer that is not lithiophilic but provides abundant nucleation sites as well. The surface lithium movement. These two factors promote crystal growth. This is a good example of solving a technical problem through scientific insight."

This new development may promote the widespread application of energy-dense lithium metal batteries. Such batteries have high charge density and have huge potential in electric vehicles and portable electronics. However, in order to maintain battery performance and avoid safety issues, lithium metal batteries currently charge extremely slowly.