TEHRAN - Iranian technologists at a startup team presented an innovative solution to overcome the limitations of conventional lithium-ion batteries by using solid polymer electrolytes containing metal-organic nanostructures which can affect the future of electric vehicles and portable devices.
The startup has focused on developing solid electrolytes that can simultaneously address several key weaknesses of current batteries, and succeeded in producing experimental coin cells that have shown ionic conductivity higher than 3-10 Siemens/cm.
Such a level of ionic conductivity paves the way for the production of batteries that will be superior to the current generation in terms of both safety and charging capacity. In other words, the technology proposed by these technologists can double the capacity of batteries and reduce charging time to less than 15 minutes; an advantage that is of great importance in the electric vehicle industry.
The successes of this startup were possible in the prototype stage, and for the industrial development and scalability of this technology, more investment is required, and the team has carefully mapped out the path of technology growth and commercialization and is seeking to attract business partners with domestic and foreign investors.
In a relevant development in June, Iranian researchers at Amirkabir University of Technology had also presented a method to improve the performance of lithium batteries by using turmeric antioxidant active ingredient which is applicable in renewable energy storage devices.
Sousan Hamidi, a PhD student at the university, implemented a research project titled ‘Improving the performance of the solid electrode-electrolyte interphase layer using synthetic and natural additives’.
“In this project, we used methyl para-toluene sulfonate as a synthetic additive and curcumin (the antioxidant active ingredient of turmeric) as a natural additive in the structure of this layer, which, due to their special characteristics, wins in the competition with the electrolyte solvent in the formation of the interphase layer (SEI) and prevents the excess consumption of lithium ions, and leads to a decrease in charge transfer resistance and an increase in battery performance,” Hamidi said.
“This research can be widely used in electric vehicles, energy storage and electrical systems. Finally, it can also be used to improve the performance of the solid electrode-electrolyte interface in advanced batteries and, using synthetic and natural additives, provide solutions for indigenizing technologies and reducing dependence on imports,” she added.
Hamidi noted that in this project new materials and plant-based and environmentally friendly materials are used to increase the stability and efficiency of batteries, reduce production costs and improve the useful life of batteries.
“Our methodology in this research includes two computational and laboratory parts. For this purpose, first, the energy properties of the selected additives were examined and confirmed using Gaussian software, and then, in the laboratory stage, these additives were used in the formulation of lithium battery electrolyte to evaluate their performance in real conditions. In this way, the combination of computational and experimental results led to improved performance of the solid electrode-electrolyte interfacial layer,” he added.