March 11, 2021: The Consortium for Battery Innovation announced on March 8 it had launched a new European research project using neutron diffraction in a bid to improve the lifetime of energy storage batteries.
The process, which images the entire crystal structure of a lead battery as it operates, allows researchers to observe and control the processes impacting battery life and performance in real time.
The project is a collaboration with the Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón and EU-based battery company Exide Technologies. INMA is a joint institute between one of Spain’s oldest universities, the University of Zaragoza, and the Spanish National Research Council, the largest public research institution in Spain and third largest in Europe.
The project — which will be based at one of Exide’s R&D centres near Madrid — utilizes the NG6 cold neutron imaging instrument at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US to provide imaging for the European scientists.
The researchers will study the fundamental processes that govern recharge efficiency and battery electrode failure using neutron beamline experiments.
Through a specific focus on electrodes, which transfer energy to and from the electrolyte to power the polarized device to which they connect, neutron diffraction will be used to study the batteries in operation across different duty cycles.
For energy storage applications, many of which incorporate renewable energy elements, advanced lead batteries operate at partial-state-of-charge and in high depth-of-discharge — both demanding duty cycles.
“The ability to probe battery electrodes in real time under typical energy storage duty cycles will deliver vital insights into how to enhance performance and the overall lifetime of the battery,” says Alistair Davidson, director of the CBI.
“This information is a critical part of our advanced battery research program, which aims to ensure advanced lead batteries continue to innovate to meet heightened demand for clean, renewable energy storage across the globe.”
This project is one of a range of advanced battery innovation studies under way that are funded by CBI.
“As countries target rapid carbon reduction in the battle to halt climate change, battery energy storage is set to be one of the defining technologies of the century, with demand predicted to grow to 20,000MWh by 2025,” says Davidson. “Advanced lead batteries are a critical part of this landscape, with Europe home to leading manufacturing, recycling and research capability.”
