Scientists at McGill University are uncovering revolutionary solutions for electric vehicle batteries, which could cut manufacturing costs by 20%.
The global shift towards electric vehicles is gaining momentum, but extracting battery materials has major environmental consequences and high costs.
Recently, two groundbreaking studies by scientists at McGill University have paved the way for the development of more economical and environmentally-friendly lithium-ion batteries - used in the manufacture of electric vehicles.
Their findings will enable the production of batteries that require durable, less expensive metals known as DRX (disordered rock-salt-type) cathode materials.
In the first study, engineering researchers, including materials engineering PhD student Richie Fong, investigated cathodes - the most expensive component of batteries, typically made from unsustainable metals such as cobalt and nickel. While iron appeared to be the most economical choice, iron-based cathodes had not, until now, had sufficient storage capacity to power a long-range electric vehicle.
However, results published in Advanced Energy Materials completely challenge this idea. Scientists have succeeded in developing iron-based DRX cathodes by modifying the electron storage process, thus achieving one of the highest storage capacities ever recorded for similar materials. This breakthrough could reduce the cost of lithium-ion batteries by 20%.
Richie Fong, a doctoral student in materials engineering, conducts cathode research in a McGill laboratory.
In a second study published in Energy & Environmental Science, a team led by Prof. Jinhyuk Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering and William Dawson Fellow, has revealed the potential of another sustainable solution: disordered manganese salt (Mn-DRX). Although this material offers high energy content at a lower cost, its low electrical conductivity and structural instability hinder its use.
Working with scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the research team uncovered an innovative solution: using multi-walled carbon nanotubes and an adhesive binder as electrode additives, the team achieved the highest exploitable energy density ever recorded for Mn-DRX cathodes.
"Our findings are extremely promising for the future development of lithium ion batteries, and pave the way for the development of more affordable and sustainable energy storage solutions," explains Prof. Lee, who points out that a collaboration with an industrial partner has been concluded with the aim of commercializing these innovations.
The studies
The article "Redox Engineering of Fe-Rich Disordered Rock-Salt Li-Ion Cathode Materials", by R. Fong, J. Lee et al, was published in Advanced Energy Materials.
DOI : 10.1002/aenm.202400402
The article "Nearly all’active-material cathodes free of nickel and cobalt for Li-ion batteries", by E. Lee, J. Lee et al, was published in Energy & Environmental Science.
DOI : 10.1039/d4ee00551a
