Challenges with existing lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and other applications are an important energy storage technology used in a wide range of applications, but they face a number of challenges, including accelerated degradation at high temperatures, overcharging and deep discharge, risk of ignition and explosion due to overcharging and short circuits, limited energy density, environmental impact and cost.
In response to these issues, approaches such as those described in ‘Bipolar lithium-ion iron phosphate batteries’ have been taken. In this article, we will discuss solid-state battery technology, which can improve safety and energy density through the use of solid electrolytes.
What is an all-solid-state battery?
All-solid-state batteries are rechargeable batteries that use a solid electrolyte instead of the liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion batteries and consist of a ‘positive electrode’ containing lithium and oxides, a ‘solid electrolyte’ which is a solid material that conducts ions, and a ‘negative electrode’ made of lithium metal or graphite that improves energy density. The ‘anode’ is made of lithium metal or graphite and serves to increase the energy density.
Features of all-solid-state batteries include.
1. replacement of liquid electrolyte: whereas lithium-ion batteries use a liquid electrolyte to aid the transfer of ions, all-solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte instead. This eliminates the risk of electrolyte leakage and volatilisation.
2. high safety: conventional lithium-ion batteries are at risk of ignition or explosion at high temperatures or when overcharged, as the liquid electrolyte is pyrophoric. All-solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte, which significantly reduces these risks and improves safety.
3. high energy density: all-solid-state batteries have the potential to have a high energy density. This is due to the ability to store more lithium ions and the increased design freedom of the battery. This makes it possible to store more energy in the same size compared to conventional batteries.
4. long service life: the use of solid electrolytes is considered to result in slower battery degradation rates and more stable performance over a longer period of time. This will extend the life of the battery and reduce the frequency of replacement.
5. wide operating temperature range: all-solid-state batteries have the advantage that they can operate stably under a wide range of temperature conditions and their performance is not easily degraded in extremely low or high temperature environments.
On the other hand, the challenges of all-solid-state batteries include the following.
1. performance and stability of the solid electrolyte:.
– Ion conductivity: in all-solid-state batteries, the solid electrolyte must conduct lithium ions efficiently. However, most current solid electrolyte materials do not have the same high ionic conductivity as liquid electrolytes. Electrolytes with low conductivity have a negative impact on battery charge/discharge performance and energy efficiency.
– Interfacial resistance: resistance tends to occur at the interface between the solid electrolyte and the electrode, and this interfacial resistance hinders ion transfer and degrades performance. In particular, inadequate contact between the cathode/anode and the solid electrolyte results in a significant reduction in energy efficiency. To solve this interface problem, improvements in materials and manufacturing processes that stabilise the interface are needed.
2. compatibility with electrode materials
– Lithium dendrite formation: when lithium metal is used as the anode, lithium can form dendrites (dendritic crystals) after repeated charging and discharging. As dendrites grow, they can break through the solid electrolyte and cause short circuits, shortening battery life and posing a safety hazard. Research is underway into materials and structures that inhibit dendrite formation.
– Thermal and chemical stability of electrode and electrolyte: all-solid-state batteries must operate stably over a wide range of temperatures, but there is a risk of degradation due to reactions between the electrode and solid electrolyte, especially at high temperatures. It is important to find thermally and chemically stable electrode/electrolyte combinations so that the materials do not react.
3. challenges in the manufacturing process
– Difficulties in scaling up: although small all-solid-state battery prototypes are being developed at the laboratory level, there are still technical hurdles to large-scale mass production. The production of solid electrolytes and electrodes requires a very high degree of precision, and the process of forming uniform, thin layers is particularly difficult. To establish mass production technology, it will be essential to build production lines that maintain uniform quality at high cost efficiency.
– Cost: solid electrolyte materials are expensive and, moreover, difficult to mass-produce with current manufacturing technology. Compared to lithium-ion batteries using conventional liquid electrolytes, all-solid-state batteries are currently significantly more expensive, and technological innovations are required to reduce manufacturing costs. 4.
4. battery life and cycle performance
– Degradation during charge-discharge cycles: interface reactions between materials and lithium dendrite formation in all-solid-state batteries lead to progressive degradation and reduced performance during repeated charge-discharge cycles. In particular, structural changes in the solid electrolyte and poor contact between it and the electrodes cause degradation, which may result in a shorter cycle life of the battery than conventional lithium-ion batteries, requiring materials and designs that reduce degradation.
5. difficulties in supporting fast charging
– Ion transfer rate limitations: all-solid-state batteries generally tend to have slower ion transfer rates than batteries using liquid electrolytes. This makes it easy for battery performance to deteriorate at high charging speeds, and in particular, ions may not move uniformly within the solid electrolyte when charging at high speeds, and local stress and heat concentrations are likely to occur.
6. cooling and thermal management
– Thermal challenges of solid electrolytes: there are still limitations to the operation of all-solid-state batteries in high and low temperature environments. In particular, at high temperatures, degradation may occur due to progressive reactions between materials, while at low temperatures, the ionic conductivity is reduced. An efficient thermal management system is needed to ensure stable operation of all-solid-state batteries.
7. lack of standardisation
– Lack of standardisation: as the technology for all-solid-state batteries is still in its infancy, there is a lack of standardisation and specification. This makes it difficult to implement across industries and to apply consistently across different sectors. Increased standardisation is expected to accelerate commercialisation and application.
Combined with AI technology
The combination of all-solid-state batteries and AI technologies has important potential in optimising next-generation energy systems and battery management. In particular, AI technologies could make a significant contribution to improving and optimising the performance of all-solid-state batteries in the R&D and manufacturing processes as well as in the operational phase, including
1. all-solid-state battery material discovery and design: the discovery of new materials and optimisation of material composition are important in the development of all-solid-state batteries, and AI techniques, in particular machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), can be used to approach the following
- Accelerated materials simulation: AI can be used to predict the physical and chemical properties of materials, thereby enabling rapid screening of new solid electrolyte and electrode materials and finding material candidates with superior performance.
- Data-driven materials design: based on vast amounts of experimental and simulation data, AI suggests the best material combinations and process parameters for all-solid-state batteries. Compared to conventional trial-and-error approaches, materials can be developed more efficiently.
2. optimisation of the manufacturing process: all-solid-state batteries are high-performance, but their manufacture requires high precision and stability; AI can be used to optimise the manufacturing process.
- Automatic optimisation of process parameters: AI can monitor and optimise process parameters such as temperature, pressure and time on the production line in real time. This improves product uniformity and increases manufacturing efficiency.
- Defect detection and quality control: image recognition technology using AI and sensor-based data analysis can automatically detect defects and anomalies that occur during the production of all-solid-state batteries. This will minimise the number of defective products on the production line.
3. battery modelling and simulation: AI is used for modelling and simulating the behaviour of all-solid-state batteries.
- Improved battery modelling: all-solid-state batteries, unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, require complex modelling due to different solid electrolyte properties and ion transfer behaviour; AI accurately models these complex physical phenomena and enables prediction of battery degradation and performance changes.
- Faster simulation: AI-based models can be computed faster than traditional physics-based simulations, enabling real-time battery performance prediction.
4. battery management systems (BMS): AI technology will also be applied to battery management systems (BMS) for the use of all-solid-state batteries; BMS will be an essential system for monitoring and managing battery charging and discharging, temperature control and degradation conditions to extend battery life.
- Optimisation of charge and discharge cycles: AI maximises battery life by analysing battery status in real time and providing optimal charge and discharge schedules; AI can monitor the status of individual battery cells and adjust charging speed and voltage accordingly.
- Anomaly detection and predictive maintenance: the AI monitors battery data and detects early signs of abnormal behaviour or degradation. This enables preventive action to be taken before a failure occurs.
5. all-solid-state battery performance prediction and optimisation: the performance of all-solid-state batteries depends on many factors, such as temperature, charge-discharge cycles and operating environment; AI enables battery performance to be predicted and optimised taking these multiple factors into account.
- Performance prediction model building: based on past experimental and operational data, AI builds a battery performance prediction model to predict performance degradation and lifespan during operation.
- Real-time optimisation: the AI analyses battery usage in real-time and suggests optimal operating conditions. This enables the battery to be operated at maximum efficiency, maximising energy density and lifetime.
6. autonomous R&D support: AI can autonomously support the all-solid-state battery R&D process itself. For example, an AI-based automated experiment system can plan experiments and search for optimal experimental conditions, thereby enabling researchers to efficiently discover new materials and processes for all-solid-state batteries.
- The benefits of integrating all-solid-state batteries and AI technology include: the use of AI will accelerate the design of materials and process development for all-solid-state batteries, which will increase the speed of research and development ‘speed of development’; optimising the manufacturing process using AI will reduce manufacturing costs and increase the commercialisation of all-solid-state batteries ‘manufacturing cost Reduction in manufacturing costs’, and “Improvement in battery performance”, where AI-based battery management and performance prediction will enable efficient operation of all-solid-state batteries, maximising battery life and energy density.
reference book
Topics related to the application of all-solid-state batteries and AI technologies are of increasing importance in areas such as materials development, process optimisation, simulation and performance prediction. Reference books on these topics are described below.
Reference books on all-solid-state batteries
1. “Solid State Electrochemistry” by Peter G. Bruce
-Explains the basic principles and applications of solid-state electrolytes, including all-solid-state batteries. Suitable for learning the basics of solid-state ionic conduction and battery materials.
2. “Solid State Batteries: Materials Design and Optimization” by Daniel H. Doughty
This book focuses on the design and optimisation of all-solid-state batteries. It provides a wealth of information on material selection and process technology.
3. “Handbook of Solid State Batteries” by Dudney, West, and Nanda
Covers a wide range of all-solid-state batteries, from materials science to device design and manufacturing techniques. Recommended reading for researchers and engineers.
4. “Lithium Batteries: Advanced Technologies and Applications” by Bruno Scrosati, Jürgen Garche, and Werner Tillmetz
Covers technologies related to lithium-ion batteries in general. All-solid-state batteries topics are also included.
Reference books on the application of AI technologies.
1. “AI for Materials Science” by Yuan Cheng and Mark D. McDonnell
– Focuses on the application of AI to materials science, particularly in new materials discovery and property prediction.
2. “Machine Learning in Materials Science: Recent Progress and Emerging Applications” by Tanjin He and Shyue Ping Ong
– Explains AI-based materials design and optimisation methods. The content is also applicable to materials development for all-solid-state batteries.
3. “Data-Driven Science and Engineering: Machine Learning, Dynamical Systems, and Control” by Steven L. Brunton and J. Nathan Kutz
– Describes how AI can be used to control and simulate materials development processes.
4. “Deep Learning for the Physical Sciences: Accelerating Research with Machine Learning” by Joseph T. Foley et al.
– Presents theory and practical examples of the application of AI technology to the physical sciences. Applicable to battery performance prediction and process simulation.
Resources related to the intersection of all-solid-state batteries and AI.
1. “Artificial Intelligence for Accelerated Battery Design”
2. “Accelerated Atomistic Modeling of Solid-State Battery Materials With Machine Learning”
3. “Computational Materials Discovery” by Artem R. Oganov
This book focuses on the use of computational science and AI to discover new materials. Applicable to all-solid-state battery research.
Online courses and resources
– Materials Project
Provides databases and machine learning tools focused on materials science. Also applicable to materials design for all-solid-state batteries.
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