Weekly Technology Talk丨Long life and reliability, lithium batteries have a promising future

In recent years, with the rise of electric vehicles and the urgent need for large-scale energy storage devices for renewable energy generation, the development of safe, large-capacity, high-power and long-life lithium-ion batteries has become a scientific research focus.

Lithium-ion batteries are the secondary battery system with the best comprehensive performance currently available. They have the characteristics of high operating voltage, high energy density, long cycle life, no memory effect, and environmental friendliness. They are a green, high-energy battery that has been widely used in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops, and are gradually expanding into the fields of power tools, power batteries for electric vehicles, and large energy storage batteries.

The electrochemical properties of lithium-ion batteries are closely related to the structure and properties of electrode materials. The choice of electrode materials largely determines the performance of the battery. The project "Key Technologies and Industrial Applications of High-Reliability and Long-Life Lithium-ion Batteries" led by Professor Du Chunyu of the School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry of Harbin Institute of Technology won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2020. Aiming at major national needs, the project started from three levels: multi-scale regulation of electrode materials, integrated design of battery structure, and full-process construction of manufacturing processes. It carried out systematic basic research and original technological innovation, achieved a series of core technological breakthroughs, and constructed a positive electrode material system and production process including precursor synthesis, material preparation and modification technology, invented a battery integrated collaborative thermal conductive structure and sealing technology, and solved the key technical problems of improving the life and reliability of lithium-ion batteries.

Under the dual carbon goals, people's demand for clean energy and renewable energy continues to deepen. However, renewable energy such as solar energy, wind energy, and hydropower needs to be converted into secondary energy such as electricity before it can be used, which has led to the scientific problem of energy storage. Scientists generally believe that the development of energy storage technology and long-life lithium-ion battery technology is the killer to solve the real problem of the mismatch between natural renewable energy and electricity demand in time and space.

The project "Key Technologies and Industrial Applications of High-Reliability and Long-Life Lithium-ion Batteries" has been successfully applied to national communications, navigation and other aerospace projects, achieving breakthroughs and applications in my country's space lithium-ion batteries. It has also been used on a large scale in communication base stations, smart phones, tablets, drones and other fields, promoting the advancement of lithium-ion battery technology.

Text: Zhu Yehua, deputy editor of Science and Technology Herald and PhD of Tsinghua University

Reviewer: Ge Ben, Associate Professor, School of Mechanical, Electrical and Information Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing)

China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

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