EV Batteries Could Get Big Boost with New Polymer Coating

 

 

Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a conductive polymer coating called HOS-PFM that could enable longer lasting, more powerful lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. HOS is an acronym for hierarchically ordered structure.

 

 

 

“The advance opens up a new approach to developing EV batteries that are more affordable and easier to manufacture,” The HOS-PFM coating conducts both electronsand ions at the same time. This ensures battery stability and high charge/discharge rates while enhancing battery life. The coating also shows promise as a battery adhesive that could extend the lifetime of a lithium-ion battery from an average of 10 years to about 15 years

 

 

 

Silicon-based lithium-ion cells typically last for a limited number of charge/discharge cycles and calendar life. The researchers recently described these findings in the journalNature Energy. The HOS-PFM coating could allow the use of electrodes containing as much as 80% silicon. Such high silicon content could increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries by at least 30%. And because silicon is cheaper than graphite, the standard material for electrodes today, cheaper batteries could significantly increase the availability of entry-level electric vehicles,. The research was supported by the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office. Additional funding was provided by the Toyota Research Institute. The technology is available for licensing.