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semi solid state battery vs lithium ion battery

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semi solid state battery vs lithium ion battery

A battery refers to a space in a cup, trough, or other container or composite container that contains an electrolyte solution and metal electrodes to generate electricity. It is a device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. It has positive and negative poles. With the advancement of technology, the term “battery” now generally refers to small devices that can generate electrical energy, such as solar cells. The performance parameters of a battery mainly include electromotive force, capacity, specific energy, and resistance. By using a battery as an energy source, one can obtain a stable voltage, stable current, long-term stable power supply, a current that is minimally affected by external factors, and a simple structure that is easy to carry. Charging and discharging operations are convenient and straightforward. Batteries are not influenced by external weather conditions and temperatures, and they exhibit stable and reliable performance, playing a significant role in various aspects of modern social life.

There are several common types of batteries, including:

  1. Dry Cell: Dry cells belong to the primary battery category in chemical power sources and are disposable batteries. They are called dry cells because the electrolyte in this type of chemical power source is a non-flowable paste, in contrast to batteries with flowable electrolytes. Dry cells are suitable for various applications, including flashlights, semiconductor radios, recorders, cameras, electronic clocks, toys, as well as in national defense, scientific research, telecommunications, navigation, aviation, medicine, and other sectors of the national economy.

Lead-acid batteries, relying on their strong high-current discharge performance, stable voltage characteristics, wide temperature range applicability, large individual battery capacity, high safety, abundant and recyclable raw materials, and low cost, hold a firm position in the majority of traditional and some emerging application fields. There is a voltage of 2 volts between the positive and negative poles of the lead-acid battery. One of the advantages of storage batteries is that they can be used repeatedly multiple times. Additionally, due to their extremely low internal resistance, they can provide a large current. When supplying power to a car’s engine, lead-acid batteries can deliver instantaneous currents of more than 20 amperes. During charging, the battery stores electrical energy, and during discharge, it converts chemical energy into electrical energy. Lead-acid batteries find widespread application in automobiles, trains, tractors, motorcycles, electric vehicles, as well as in communication, power stations, power transmission, instrumentation, UPS power supplies, and in the fields of aircraft, tanks, ships, radar systems, and more

A lithium battery is a type of battery with lithium as the negative electrode. It is a new high-energy battery developed after the 1960s. It is categorized based on the electrolyte used:

  1. High-temperature molten salt lithium battery.
  2. Organic electrolyte lithium battery.
  3. Inorganic non-aqueous electrolyte lithium battery.
  4. Solid electrolyte lithium battery.
  5. Lithium-water battery.

The advantages of lithium batteries include high individual cell voltage, large specific energy, long storage life (up to 10 years), good performance at high and low temperatures (usable in the range of -40 to 150°C). However, the drawbacks include high cost and relatively lower safety. Additionally, issues such as voltage lag and safety concerns still need improvement. The significant development of power batteries and the emergence of new positive electrode materials, especially the advancement of lithium iron phosphate materials, have greatly contributed to the progress of lithium batteries.

Lithium-Ion Batteries: Lithium-ion batteries, commonly referred to as lithium batteries, are used in smartphones and laptops. These batteries typically utilize materials containing lithium elements as electrodes and represent modern high-performance batteries. Developed initially by Sony in 1990, lithium-ion batteries use non-aqueous liquid organic electrolytes. It’s important to note that they can be easily confused with two other types of batteries:

  1. Lithium batteries, with metallic lithium as the negative electrode.
  2. Lithium-ion polymer batteries, which use polymers to gelatinize liquid organic solvents or directly use all-solid-state electrolytes. Lithium-ion batteries generally employ graphite-like carbon materials as the negative electrode.

Semi-Solid-State Batteries: Before delving into semi-solid-state batteries, it’s necessary to understand what solid-state batteries are. Solid-state batteries use solid electrodes and solid electrolytes. Traditional liquid lithium batteries, often metaphorically termed “rocking chair batteries,” have positive and negative poles at the ends of the rocking chair, with a liquid electrolyte in the middle. Lithium ions, acting like skilled athletes, shuttle back and forth between the positive and negative poles, completing the battery’s charging and discharging process. The principle of solid-state batteries is similar, but their electrolyte is solid. This density and structure enable more charged ions to gather on one side, facilitating larger current conduction and thereby enhancing battery capacity. Consequently, solid-state batteries can be smaller for the same amount of energy. Moreover, since there is no liquid electrolyte, sealing becomes easier, eliminating the need for additional cooling pipes and electronic controls in large devices such as cars, thus saving costs and reducing weight.

While the concept of solid-state batteries is not new, progress in development has not been as rapid as initially envisioned. The transition from laboratory experimentation to mass production will still take a considerable amount of time, even if cost reductions can be achieved. As with liquid lithium batteries in the 1970s, the conceptualization and experimental verification progressed simultaneously, but widespread use did not occur until the end of the 20th century.

In this transitional phase between liquid lithium batteries and solid-state batteries, semi-solid-state batteries have emerged. Semi-solid-state batteries have an electrode on one side that does not contain liquid electrolyte, while the other side contains liquid electrolyte. The proportion of solid electrolyte mass or volume in a single cell is half of the total electrolyte mass or total volume. Due to the partial solid electrolyte, semi-solid-state batteries offer higher safety compared to traditional liquid lithium batteries. They are less prone to explosions, even when punctured. These batteries use high-energy-density materials, providing increased energy density and a lifespan of over 2000 cycles. Additionally, the reduction in electrolyte in semi-solid-state batteries effectively reduces their weight. In terms of battery structure, semi-solid-state batteries typically use a flexible pouch format with aluminum-plastic film replacing aluminum or steel shell components. The Chinese electric vehicle brand “NIO” employs semi-solid-state batteries in its vehicles.

 
 

Below is the disassembly and needle poke experiment we did on the semi-solid battery cells used in our products.

Lithium-Ion Batteries: Lithium-ion batteries embed lithium ions into carbon (petroleum coke and graphite) to form the negative electrode (traditional lithium batteries use lithium or lithium alloys as the negative electrode). Common positive electrode materials include LixCoO2, LixNiO2, and LixMnO4. The electrolyte consists of LiPF6 + ethylene carbonate (EC) + dimethyl carbonate (DMC). Petroleum coke and graphite, used as negative electrode materials, are non-toxic and abundant resources. Embedding lithium ions into carbon overcomes lithium’s high reactivity, addressing safety issues in traditional lithium batteries. The positive electrode LixCoO2 achieves high levels of performance and lifespan in charge and discharge, reducing costs. The reaction during charge and discharge for lithium-ion secondary batteries is as follows:

 

Semi-Solid-State Batteries: Semi-solid-state batteries consist of colored substances capable of serving as positive electrodes, such as   sodium silicate (Na2Si2O5), sodium metasilicate (Na2SiO3), or silicon dioxide (SiO2), and colored substances serving as negative electrodes, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), sodium titanate (Na2TiO3), or titanium suboxide (Ti4O7). Positive electrode materials can absorb and store lithium ions, while negative electrode materials can release lithium ions. Additionally, certain raw materials may be used in the battery to improve the performance of solid electrode materials, such as amine (ethylamine, H3CNH2), ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3), fluorine resin (Fluorine Resin), dimethyl phosphate (Dimethyl Phosphate), and carboxylates. The reaction process of the positive electrode in semi-solid-state batteries is complex, and the electronic output is mainly derived from the reactions occurring in the positive electrode, with the reaction rate depending on reactant concentrations and electron transfer rates.

Performance Comparison:

Lithium-Ion Batteries:

  1. High Voltage: Single-cell voltage reaches 3.7-3.8V, three times that of Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries.
  2. Long Cycle Life: Generally exceeding 500 cycles, even surpassing 1000 cycles; phosphoric iron lithium can achieve up to 8000 cycles.
  3. Good Safety Performance: Environmentally friendly with no memory effect. Li-ion, the precursor to lithium-ion batteries, eliminates the risk of short circuits due to lithium dendrites, expanding its application range.
  4. Low Self-Discharge: Approximately 2% self-discharge rate after one month at room temperature, significantly lower than Ni-Cd (25-30%) and Ni-MH (30-35%).
  5. Fast Charging: 1C charging for 30 minutes can achieve over 80% of nominal capacity, and phosphoric iron batteries can reach 90% in 10 minutes.
  6. Operating Temperature: Operating temperature ranges from -25 to 60°C, with the potential to expand to -40 to 70°C with improvements in electrolyte and positive electrode.

Semi-Solid-State Batteries:

  1. Lightweight, High Energy Density: Changes in applicable material systems, particularly the direct use of metallic lithium instead of lithium-embedded graphite as the negative electrode, significantly increase energy density.
  2. Thin, Small Volume: The elimination of separators and liquid electrolytes reduces thickness, making semi-solid-state battery technology essential for miniaturization and thin-film applications.
  3. Flexibility: The use of brittle ceramic materials in semi-solid-state batteries, when reduced to millimeter-scale thickness, allows for flexibility. Proper encapsulation materials enable the battery to withstand hundreds to thousands of bends without significant performance degradation.
  4. Enhanced Safety: Eliminates dangers associated with lithium dendrite formation under high current and reduces the risk of reactions, oxidation, gas generation, and combustion associated with organic liquid electrolytes in traditional lithium batteries.

Comparison Between Liquid and Semi-Solid-State Batteries: In comparison with liquid-state batteries, the main characteristic of semi-solid-state batteries is the introduction of solid-state electrolytes, replacing the traditional combination of liquid electrolyte and separators. Semi-solid-state batteries employ half-solid-state electrolytes, significantly improving safety compared to liquid-state batteries. Currently, leading Chinese developers of semi-solid-state batteries include Weilan New Energy, Ganfeng Lithium, Funeng Technology, Guoxuan High-Tech, and Qingtao Energy, all of which have achieved industrialization of semi-solid-state batteries.

Application Scope:

Lithium-Ion Batteries: In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have found widespread applications, including energy storage systems in hydro, thermal, wind, and solar power stations. They are also extensively used in electric tools, electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, special equipment, special aerospace, and various other fields. Lithium-ion batteries are gradually expanding into areas such as electric bicycles and electric vehicles.

Semi-Solid-State Batteries: Semi-solid-state batteries can be used in manned aerial vehicles, agricultural spraying, industrial patrols, forest firefighting, construction monitoring, cargo transportation, aerial photography, mapping, consumer electronic products, portable energy storage, and new energy vehicles.

 
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