Li-ion battery materials: present and future

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides access to information on a variety of topics related to the environment and strives to inform citizens of health risks. The EPA also has an extensive library network that consists of 26 libraries throughout the United States, which provide access to a plethora of information to EPA employees, scientists, and researchers. The EPA implemented a reorganization project to digitize their materials so they would be more accessible to a wider range of users, but this plan was drastically accelerated when the EPA was threatened with a budget cut. It chose to close and reduce the hours and services of some of their libraries. As a result, the agency was accused of denying users the “right to know” by making information unavailable, not providing an adequate strategic plan, and discarding vital materials. This case study explores the background of the digitization project, the practices implemented, and the critiques of the project.

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The Environmental Protection Agency

Recycling of rare earths: a critical review

Sodium-ion batteries are an appealing alternative to lithium-ion batteries because they use raw materials that are less expensive, more abundant and less toxic. The background leading to such promises is carefully assessed in terms of cell and battery production, as well as raw material supply risks, for sodium-ion and modern lithium-ion batteries.

A cost and resource analysis of sodium-ion batteries

The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) brings together over 300 international researchers to provide an independent, scientifically based, integrated and policy-relevant analysis of current and emerging energy issues and options. It has been peer-reviewed anonymously by an additional 200 international experts. The GEA assesses the major global challenges for sustainable development and their linkages to energy; the technologies and resources available for providing energy services; future energy systems that address the major challenges; and the policies and other measures that are needed to realize transformational change toward sustainable energy futures. The GEA goes beyond existing studies on energy issues by presenting a comprehensive and integrated analysis of energy chalenges, opportunities and strategies, for developing, industrialized and emerging economies. This volume is a invaluable resource for energy specialists and technologists in all sectors (academia, industry and government) as well as policymakers, development economists and practitioners in international organizations and national governments.

Global Energy Assessment: Toward a Sustainable Future

The future availability of rare earth elements (REEs) is of concern due to monopolistic supply conditions, environmentally unsustainable mining practices, and rapid demand growth. We present an evaluation of potential future demand scenarios for REEs with a focus on the issue of comining. Many assumptions were made to simplify the analysis, but the scenarios identify some key variables that could affect future rare earth markets and market behavior. Increased use of wind energy and electric vehicles are key elements of a more sustainable future. However, since present technologies for electric vehicles and wind turbines rely heavily on dysprosium (Dy) and neodymium (Nd), in rare-earth magnets, future adoption of these technologies may result in large and disproportionate increases in the demand for these two elements. For this study, upper and lower bound usage projections for REE in these applications were developed to evaluate the state of future REE supply availability. In the absence of efficient reus...

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Evaluating rare earth element availability: a case with revolutionary demand from clean technologies

Global lithium resources: Relative importance of pegmatite, brine and other deposits

Summary
There is disagreement on whether the supply of lithium is adequate to support a future global fleet of electric vehicles. We report a comprehensive analysis of the global lithium resources and compare it to an assessment of global lithium demand from 2010 to 2100 that assumes rapid and widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

Recent estimates of global lithium resources have reached very different conclusions. We compiled data on 103 deposits containing lithium, with an emphasis on the 32 deposits that have a lithium resource of more than 100,000 tonnes each. For each deposit, data were compiled on its location, geologic type, dimensions, and content of lithium as well as current status of production where appropriate. Lithium demand was estimated under the assumption of two different growth scenarios for electric vehicles and other current battery and nonbattery applications.

The global lithium resource is estimated to be about 39 Mt (million tonnes), whereas the highest demand scenario does not exceed 20 Mt for the period 2010 to 2100. We conclude that even with a rapid and widespread adoption of electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries, lithium resources are sufficient to support demand until at least the end of this century.

/pdf/global-lithium-availability-a-constraint-for-electric-2zecgjj3n1.pdf

Global Lithium Availability: A Constraint for Electric Vehicles

Scanning probe microscope observations of monolayers of a classic boundary lubricant, stearic acid (STA), reveal long-range dynamics of wear and reconstruction of monomolecular films under the shea...

Organic Molecular Films under Shear Forces: Fluid and Solid Langmuir Monolayers

Tribological properties of molecular films composed of a fullerene monolayer chemically attached to the functional surface of self-assembled monolayers (C60−SAM) were studied by friction force microscopy. We observed very high wear stability of composite fullerene films. The friction coefficient (μ) for these films varies in a wide range from 0.04 ± 0.02 at high loads and 0.06 ± 0.02 at the highest velocities tested (<1000 μm/s) to 0.15 ± 0.03 at intermediate velocities and low loads. This non-monotonic velocity behavior is a striking feature of fullerene films as compared to steadily rising friction forces for alkylsilane monolayers (CH3−SAM) and may be related to exceeding dissipation of energy during structural rearrangement of fullerene molecules. The friction coefficient of C60−SAM films of 0.04−0.15 at various velocities and loads is much lower than μ for silicon surfaces (0.1−0.6) and is comparable to the friction coefficient of CH3−SAM (0.02−0.05) and an azide-terminated monolayer, N3−SAM (0.04−0....

Mark P. Everson

Papers

Evaluating rare earth element availability: a case with revolutionary demand from clean technologies

Global lithium resources: Relative importance of pegmatite, brine and other deposits

Global Lithium Availability: A Constraint for Electric Vehicles

Organic Molecular Films under Shear Forces: Fluid and Solid Langmuir Monolayers

Nanotribological Properties of Composite Molecular Films: C60 Anchored to a Self-Assembled Monolayer