Lithium metal rechargeable battery is considered as next generation battery technology due to its higher energy density over the benchmark Li-ion battery technology.  SES is pioneering in development and manufacturing of lithium metal battery technology and continuing improve the cell safety and electrochemical performance.  The relationship of electrolyte formulation design and lithium metal cell thermal stability will be discussed. 

This talk will discuss energy density improvements with lithium metal anodes and the key challenges.

Introduced on the market some 10 years ago as the ultimate option for very high energy density systems, Mn-rich cathode materials never managed to make it to mass production. This lack of market enthusiasm was mainly due to intrinsic performance issues and simultaneous better value proposition from competing chemistries, mainly Hi Nickel-based systems. The ongoing race towards more affordable vehicles, translated into lower US/kWh shed new light on these materials which appear to be very suitable candidate for cost-optimized design.

LG Energy Solution has been leading the market and technology for long range electric vehicle, in particular, World's first application of NCM622 and NCMA as cathode material. Now we are expanding production capacity globally to meet customers' needs. For future EV's key values, mid Ni NCMA dn Li/Mn-rich cathode materials are developed for cost and safety, as well as high Ni NCMA for high nergay density (driving range).

Lithium (Li) metal has been considered an ideal anode for high-energy rechargeable Li batteries while Li nucleation and growth at the nanoscale remains mysterious as to achieving reversible stripping and deposition. A few decades of research have been dedicated to this topic and we have seen breakthroughs in novel electrolytes (liquid or solid) in the last few years, where the efficiency of lithium deposition is exceeding 99.6%.

Solid-state Li-batteries are a transformational and safe energy storage solution due to their non-flammable ceramic electrolyte that enables the use of Li metal anodes and high voltage cathodes. However, progress has been limited due to electrode/electrolyte interfacial issues, concerns over dendrites, and the requirement for elevated temperature and high stack pressure. To eliminate these concerns a rational design of tailored structures and interfaces will be presented. In addition, progress toward full cells using these tailored structures and interfaces will be presented.

Advances in battery technology are critical for improving electric vehicle performance in order to enable mass-market adoption of zero-emissions vehicles. QuantumScape developed the industry’s first anode-free cell – using a nonflammable, noncombustible solid-state separator – designed to simultaneously extend driving range, charge faster, and operate more safely than today’s EVs. 

South 8 Technologies is developing a novel liquefied gas electrolyte (LiGas) for lithium batteries. These electrolytes are a platform technology to develop a variety of next-generation high-energy electrode chemistries to achieve >400 Wh/kg and have demonstrated significant safety improvements with the elimination of thermal runaway while maintaining excellent cycle life (>1,000 cycles) and temperature operation (-60 to +60C). South 8 has started sampling cylindrical (18650, 2170) cells to Tier 1 automotive and cell manufacturing groups.

High energy Ni-rich cathode will play a key role in advanced Li-ion batteries, but it suffers from moisture sensitivity, side reactions and gas generation. Single crystalline Ni-rich cathode has a great potential to address the challenges present in its polycrystalline counterpart by reducing phase boundaries and materials surfaces. However, synthesis of high-performance single crystalline Ni-rich cathode is very challenging, not mentioning a fundamental linkage between over-potential, microstructure, and electrochemical behaviors in single crystalline Ni-rich cathodes. This talk will explore cost-effective synthesis approaches for industry manufacturing and propose validation strategies for scaled Ni-rich single crystals.

Lithium-ion battery manufacturers are being pressed to develop longer-lasting, higher-energy batteries than currently possible with low-energy graphite anodes. Ecellix is developing eCell, a porous silicon/carbon composite material that initially offers 30% greater battery energy capacity/power as an inexpensive drop-in replacement to graphite. eCell is produced by a scalable and patented 2-step process that transforms low-cost and abundant micron-scale materials into a carbon-coated silicon composite with 100% Si active materials. EV battery systems incorporating higher energy eCell-powered cells will benefit from up to a 30% reduction in pack weight and volume.

As we begin the transition from fossil fuel dependency to clean and renewable-based energy, the world needs proven, dependable and tangible examples of sustainable products. Kurt Kelty, Sila’s VP of Commercialization, will discuss how innovative drop-in-replacement nanocomposite, silicon-based anode powder enables up to 20% more energy density today over state-of-the-art lithium-ion cells with graphite, without performance compromise. This material is not only shipping today but it is ready to scale to meet larger demand and power EVs by the middle of this decade.

Anode chemistry is rapidly evolving with anodes featuring silicon/carbon composites, silicon oxide and micro-silicon all being considered as potential pathways to boost capacity. The integrity of the anode coating network is largely facilitated by the binder, which plays an even greater role when more silicon is incorporated. 

Silicon can hold about 10 times the lithium-ion as the existing material in lithium-ion batteries – graphite – and its use could lead to 30-50% higher energy density. The main obstacle with the use of silicon is that in reaction with lithium during charging it expands over 300% in volume, which heavily damages the battery life. Our patented anode architecture combined with proprietary electrolyte design produce an expansion-controlled silicon-based Li-ion battery with a long lifespan. This talk will showcase the multilayer pouch cell (Si-811) performance data.

Enovix is the leader in advanced silicon-anode lithium-ion battery development and production. This presentation will describe the company's 3D cell architecture which enables the use of an anode that is 100% active silicon anode and mitigates the traditional problems experienced with silicon in lithium-ion batteries: volume expansion, formation lithium loss, and break-up of silicon during cycling leading to poor cycle life.