Electric car batteries may fail earlier than expected - researchDecember 14, 2012 - 16:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The lithium-ion batteries commonly used in hybrid and electric-only cars could fail earlier than expected because of a newly-discovered problem with the current collector, TG Daily reports. Researchers led by Ohio State University engineers examined used car batteries and discovered that over time lithium accumulates beyond the battery electrodes, in the current collector - a sheet of copper which facilitates electron transfer between the electrodes and the car’s electrical system. "Our study shows that the copper current collector plays a role in the performance of the battery," says Professor Bharat Bhushan. Inside a lithium-ion battery, lithium ions shuttle back and forth between the anode and cathode of the battery - and the team had already discovered that, as the battery ages, cyclable lithium permanently builds up on the surface of the anode, affecting the battery's charge capacity. Now, though, they've found that lithium migrates through the anode to build up on the copper current collector as well. "We didn’t set out to find lithium in the current collector, so you could say we accidentally discovered it, and how it got there is a bit of a mystery," says Bushan. "As far as we know, nobody has ever expected active lithium to migrate inside the current collector." In tests, the group found a ratio of the number of copper atoms in the collector to the number of lithium atoms that had collected there of up to 0.08 percent, or approximately one lithium atom per 1250 copper atoms in the collector. That’s enough, says the team, to affect the electrical performance of the current collector – and, in turn, the performance of a battery. He says battery makers should investigate and design new materials that might prevent lithium from escaping the electrode material. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |