Using all energy in a battery

Controlled electrode structure improves energy utilization [Also see Report by Kirshenbaum et al. ] It is not easy to pull all the energy from a battery. For a battery to discharge, electrons and ions have to reach the same place in the active electrode material at the same moment. To reach the enti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2015-01, Vol.347 (6218), p.131-132
Main Authors:	Dudney, Nancy J, Li, Juchuan
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Batteries Contact conversion electrode Discharge Electrodes Electronics Electrons Energy conservation ENERGY STORAGE Energy use Ions lithium ion battery Pathways Phases Surface chemistry
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Controlled electrode structure improves energy utilization [Also see Report by Kirshenbaum et al. ] It is not easy to pull all the energy from a battery. For a battery to discharge, electrons and ions have to reach the same place in the active electrode material at the same moment. To reach the entire volume of the battery and maximize energy use, internal pathways for both electrons and ions must be low-resistance and continuous, connecting all regions of the battery electrode. Traditional batteries consist of a randomly distributed mixture of conductive phases within the active battery material. In these materials, bottlenecks and poor contacts may impede effective access to parts of the battery. On page 149 of this issue, Kirshenbaum et al. ( 1 ) explore a different approach, in which silver electronic pathways form on internal surfaces as the battery is discharged. The electronic pathways are well distributed throughout the electrode, improving battery performance.
ISSN:	0036-8075 1095-9203