A team of scientists across several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories has unraveled how light and a previously unknown form of certain nickel-based catalysts together unlock and preserve reactivity. This research, described in the journal Nature Communications, could potentially advance the use of abundant nickel in place of more expensive … [continued]
Pleasant Surprises about the Lifespan of EV Batteries I was puzzled as a new EV driver in 2015 as to why the EV was advertised as having 84 miles of range. When I drove around town, gently applying my regenerative braking and taking off swiftly with my newfound torque, my … [continued]
From left: Physicist Zhan Zhang, Postdoc Jiyu Cai, Senior Chemist Zonghai Chen and Physicist and Group Leader Shelly Kelly working on the experimental table for X-ray measurements at the recently upgraded 25-ID beamline at the APS. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory/Mark Lopez.)
New research uncovers a hydrogen-centered mechanism that triggers degradation in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles While the lithium-ion battery could help save the planet, it is in some ways like any other battery: it degrades with time and operation, taking a toll on its lifespan. Along with enabling … [continued]
Researchers discover one weird trick at the end of the EV battery manufacturing process that saves time and money while extending battery life by an average of 50%.
Researchers discover one weird trick at the end of the EV battery manufacturing process that saves time and money while extending battery life by an average of 50%.
The center at SLAC aims to bridge the gaps between discovering, manufacturing, and deploying innovative energy storage solutions
A polymer-based electrolyte made for batteries that keep working — and don’t catch fire — when heated to over 140 degrees F.
Room-temperature superconductors could transform everything from electrical grids to particle accelerators to computers — but before they can be realized, researchers need to better understand how existing high-temperature superconductors work. Now, researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of British Columbia, Yale University and others … [continued]
Cryo-EM snapshots of the solid-electrolyte interphase, or SEI, reveal its natural swollen state and offer a new approach to lithium-metal battery design. Originally published by the SLAC National Accelerator Lab. By Glennda Chui Lithium metal batteries could store much more charge in a given space than today’s lithium-ion batteries, and … [continued]
One of the key problems with lithium-ion batteries is that, over time, they do lose some of their battery life. This is why recycling them is so important. But what if there was a way to bring them back to life? And by this, I mean make them as good … [continued]
By Noël Bakhtian If you reflect on the immense contributions of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s 17 national laboratories to society since the 1930s, it’s easy to conjure up discoveries and capabilities related to the multibillion-dollar, world-class national user facilities spread across the county. But the true keystone to … [continued]
