This seems like an important development.
Bkmk
I’m not seeing anything here about the weight/cbarge density ratio as compared to lithium ion technology. The battery could last longer (good) but if it weighs too much it’s a loser.
Every day there is another huge advance in EV batteries. Before long they will be so good they will create their own energy which you will have to drain off to power your house.
Not single crystal, densified poly crystaline.
Basic principle is still valid.
Did you know the turbine blades in modern jet engines are SINGLE crystal?
If they can do that with titanium, the same techniques can be fine-tuned for nickel electrodes!
Now to keep those EV’s from spontaneously catching fire.
Just as Big Oil encouraged Big Auto for decades to not get too enthused about increasing gas milage, Big Battery will encourage Big Auto to buy batteries that don’t last real long.
The money is in the treatment, not in the cure.
So the battery lasts more cycles, does it still spontaneously combust, does it take less time to charge, they still have to get electricity from somewhere, and does this make eggs less or more expensive?
But can it render them less likely to catch fire?
I’ve seen articles like this for a couple years. I’m curious if ANY of these ‘breakthroughs’ have made it to market?
Sodium ion cells are already in the works with 50,000 cycle ,and sub zero performances with 10+C charge rates thatsv6 min from zero to 100% and they can and do 100% DOD cycles with ease. The only metric lacking is energy density they already kill Lithium with power density. For a plug in hybrid energy density is less critical. The very best sodium cells are now in the 160wh/kg range and that’s firmly in LFP territory so even 200 mile EV ranges is on the table. A 200 mile EV with 10C charging only needs a 6 min charge every 3 hours of drive time at 65mph avg speeds. What’s more important is most people don’t drive 200+ miles per day so a L2 top up at night is all that’s needed for 99% of all daily users. Having 50,000 cycles in a 200 mile car is millions of miles ten million to exact so mileage life is moot it’s calender life and sodium cells are 20+ year cells. This tech is here and is being ramped up. The personal electronics and power tool markets alone make sure these advanced cells get produced EVs are a much smaller secondary market. This company is specializing in bulk grid level cells the fundamental anode and cathode chemistry is relevant for consumer devices and EVs as well.
https://natron.energy/our-technology
I have made macroscopic (say, 1 inch scale) metal single crystals under laboratory conditions when studying metal physics. They are exceedingly fragile. One little tap will make a metal single crystal polycrystalline right quickly. (Minerals are something else completely.)
Whatever they are doing, macroscopic single crystals is not it.
Wow, yet another “game changer” I won’t be holding my breath