Solid state battery

The 19th century has envisioned the century of solid-state batteries by pioneer chemist Michael Faraday. However, their development did not become a reality until recently. Now, important industries from multiple industries, including Bosch, Dyson, Toyota, and Intel, are investing billions of dollars. John Goodenough, co-inventor of the now ubiquitous lithium-ion battery, recently announced a battery that uses glass as an electrolyte, proving that solid-state batteries are closer to the market than ever. Compared to the lithium-ion batteries that power our smartphones, tablets and laptops, solid-state batteries are lighter, allow for higher energy storage, and perform well at high temperatures. In addition, unlike the electrolytes used in lithium-ion technology, solid electrolytes are not flammable and may avoid spontaneous fires and explosions, just like the flames introduced by the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 a few years ago. However, new technologies are still very expensive.

For many other applications, polymers may be the best and most economical solution. French transportation company Bolloré has been manufacturing and commercializing polymer-based solid-state batteries, which are mainly used for network-connected sensors.

According to polymer expert Tanja Junkers, "Charge transport polymers are indeed fascinating-we have just seen the beginning of what might happen in the future." There is still much research to do, especially because solid-state battery components are so tightly integrated Together, it's so complicated to understand the behavior of each component.

Academia and industrial researchers are working closely to develop better non-destructive operating techniques-electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance-to understand the performance of solid-state batteries. For most uses, the technology still requires several years of development.