Batteries 

About: Batteries is an academic journal published by Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Chemistry & Battery (electricity). It has an ISSN identifier of 2313-0105. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1009 publications have been published receiving 9306 citations.

Pre-Lithiation Strategies for Rechargeable Energy Storage Technologies: Concepts, Promises and Challenges

Abstract: In order to meet the sophisticated demands for large-scale applications such as electro-mobility, next generation energy storage technologies require advanced electrode active materials with enhanced gravimetric and volumetric capacities to achieve increased gravimetric energy and volumetric energy densities However, most of these materials suffer from high 1st cycle active lithium losses, eg, caused by solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, which in turn hinder their broad commercial use so far In general, the loss of active lithium permanently decreases the available energy by the consumption of lithium from the positive electrode material Pre-lithiation is considered as a highly appealing technique to compensate for active lithium losses and, therefore, to increase the practical energy density Various pre-lithiation techniques have been evaluated so far, including electrochemical and chemical pre-lithiation, pre-lithiation with the help of additives or the pre-lithiation by direct contact to lithium metal In this review article, we will give a comprehensive overview about the various concepts for pre lithiation and controversially discuss their advantages and challenges Furthermore, we will critically discuss possible effects on the cell performance and stability and assess the techniques with regard to their possible commercial exploration

A critical review of lithium-ion battery recycling processes from a circular economy perspective

Abstract: Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are currently one of the most important electrochemical energy storage devices, powering electronic mobile devices and electric vehicles alike. However, there is a remarkable difference between their rate of production and rate of recycling. At the end of their lifecycle, only a limited number of LIBs undergo any recycling treatment, with the majority go to landfills or being hoarded in households. Further losses of LIB components occur because the the state-of-the-art LIB recycling processes are limited to components with high economic value, e.g., Co, Cu, Fe, and Al. With the increasing popularity of concepts such as “circular economy” (CE), new LIB recycling systems have been proposed that target a wider spectrum of compounds, thus reducing the environmental impact associated with LIB production. This review work presents a discussion of the current practices and some of the most promising emerging technologies for recycling LIBs. While other authoritative reviews have focused on the description of recycling processes, the aim of the present was is to offer an analysis of recycling technologies from a CE perspective. Consequently, the discussion is based on the ability of each technology to recover every component in LIBs. The gathered data depicted a direct relationship between process complexity and the variety and usability of the recovered fractions. Indeed, only processes employing a combination of mechanical processing, and hydro- and pyrometallurgical steps seemed able to obtain materials suitable for LIB (re)manufacture. On the other hand, processes relying on pyrometallurgical steps are robust, but only capable of recovering metallic components.

Life Cycle Analysis of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Automotive Applications

Abstract: In light of the increasing penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) in the global vehicle market, understanding the environmental impacts of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) that characterize the EVs is key to sustainable EV deployment. This study analyzes the cradle-to-gate total energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, SOx, NOx, PM10 emissions, and water consumption associated with current industrial production of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) batteries, with the battery life cycle analysis (LCA) module in the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model, which was recently updated with primary data collected from large-scale commercial battery material producers and automotive LIB manufacturers. The results show that active cathode material, aluminum, and energy use for cell production are the major contributors to the energy and environmental impacts of NMC batteries. However, this study also notes that the impacts could change significantly, depending on where in the world the battery is produced, and where the materials are sourced. In an effort to harmonize existing LCAs of automotive LIBs and guide future research, this study also lays out differences in life cycle inventories (LCIs) for key battery materials among existing LIB LCA studies, and identifies knowledge gaps.

Characterising Lithium-Ion Battery Degradation through the Identification and Tracking of Electrochemical Battery Model Parameters

Abstract: Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries undergo complex electrochemical and mechanical degradation. This complexity is pronounced in applications such as electric vehicles, where highly demanding cycles of operation and varying environmental conditions lead to non-trivial interactions of ageing stress factors. This work presents the framework for an ageing diagnostic tool based on identifying and then tracking the evolution of model parameters of a fundamental electrochemistry-based battery model from non-invasive voltage/current cycling tests. In addition to understanding the underlying mechanisms for degradation, the optimisation algorithm developed in this work allows for rapid parametrisation of the pseudo-two dimensional (P2D), Doyle-Fuller-Newman, battery model. This is achieved through exploiting the embedded symbolic manipulation capabilities and global optimisation methods within MapleSim. Results are presented that highlight the significant reductions in the computational resources required for solving systems of coupled non-linear partial differential equations.

Economics of Residential Photovoltaic Battery Systems in Germany: The Case of Tesla’s Powerwall

Abstract: Residential photovoltaic (PV) battery systems increase households’ electricity self-consumption using rooftop PV systems and thus reduce the electricity bill. High investment costs of battery systems, however, prevent positive financial returns for most present residential battery installations in Germany. Tesla Motors, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA, USA) announced a novel battery system—the Powerwall—for only about 25% of the current German average market price. According to Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, Germany is one of the key markets for their product. He has, however, not given numbers to support his statement. In this paper, we analyze the economic benefit of the Powerwall for end-users with respect to various influencing parameters: electricity price, aging characteristics of the batteries, topology of battery system coupling, subsidy schemes, and retrofitting of existing PV systems. Simulations show that three key-factors strongly influence economics: the price gap between electricity price and remuneration rate, the battery system’s investment cost, and the usable battery capacity. We reveal under which conditions a positive return on invest can be achieved and outline that the Powerwall could be a worthwhile investment in multiple, but not all, scenarios investigated. Resulting trends are generally transferrable to other home storage products.