Learn more about the three replacement technologies

Dr. Zhang described the following three thermal battery technologies, most of which are still in the laboratory. Although there is still a long way to go for commercial production, we believe that the rapid development of mobile electronic products will increase the cost of batteries, which will undoubtedly accelerate technological and commercial disruption.

Mobile phones, tablets, and wearable devices are all booming, but the battery is one of their bottlenecks. Most new smartphone users are disappointed with battery life. In the past, they used their mobile phones for 4 to 7 days, but now they have to charge them every day.

Lithium batteries are the most mainstream, favored by sponsors and industry insiders, but in the long run, they may not be enough to double their energy density. In smart phones, people spend more time online, faster, and support chips must also be faster. At the same time, despite improvements in all energy-saving measures, screens are getting larger and energy costs are rising. Dr. Zhang Yuegang, an international battery expert at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that a week’s rechargeable batteries for smartphones may not be enough.

Energy density is one of the core indicators to measure battery quality, and its strategy is to store more and more energy in lighter and smaller batteries. For example, BYD’s lithium batteries, calculated by weight and volume, currently consume 100-125 watt-hours/kg and 240-300 watt-hours/liter respectively. The Panasonic laptop battery used in the Tesla Model S electric car has an energy density of 170 watt-hours per kilogram. In our previous report, the American company Enevate improved the cathode data to increase the energy density of lithium batteries by more than 30%.

To increase the energy density of batteries exponentially, you must rely on next-generation battery technology. Zhang Yuegang introduced us to the following three thermal battery technologies, most of which are still in the laboratory. Although there is still a long way to go for commercial production, we believe that the rapid development of mobile electronic products will increase the cost of batteries, which will surely accelerate the disruption of technology and business.

Lithium Sulfur Battery

Lithium-sulfur battery is a lithium battery with sulfur as the positive electrode and metal lithium as the negative electrode. Its theoretical energy density is about 5 times that of lithium batteries, and it is still in the early stages of development.

At present, lithium-sulfur batteries are a promising new generation of lithium batteries, which have entered the field of laboratory research and various preliminary funds, and have good commercial prospects.

However, lithium-sulfur batteries also face some technical challenges, especially the chemical properties of the battery’s negative electrode data and the instability of lithium metal, which is a major test of battery safety. In addition, many aspects such as stability, formula, and technology are facing unknown challenges.

At present, in the UK and the US, more than one organization is studying lithium-sulfur batteries, and some companies have stated that they will launch such batteries this year. In his Berkeley laboratory, he is also studying lithium-sulfur batteries. In a more demanding test environment, after more than 3,000 cycles, satisfactory results have been obtained.

lithium air battery

Lithium-air battery is a battery in which lithium is the positive electrode and the oxygen in the air is the negative electrode. The theoretical energy density of a lithium anode is nearly 10 times that of a lithium battery, because the positive electrode metal lithium is very light, and the active positive electrode material oxygen exists in the natural environment and is not stored in the battery.

Li-air batteries are facing more technical challenges. In addition to the safe preservation of metallic lithium, the lithium oxide formed by the oxidation reaction is too stable, and the reaction can only be completed and reduced with the help of a catalyst. In addition, the issue of battery cycles has not been resolved.

Compared with lithium-sulfur batteries, the research on lithium-air batteries is still at an early stage, and no company has put them into commercial development.

Magnesium battery

Magnesium battery is a primary battery with magnesium as the negative electrode and a certain metal or non-metal oxide as the positive electrode. Compared with lithium batteries, magnesium ion batteries have better stability and longer service life. Because magnesium is a divalent element, its quality is higher