Revolutionary Battery Technology: Unlocking Stability in All Climates

Despite being extensively used, lithium-ion (Li) batteries face challenges in operating efficiently in low temperatures and are prone to overheating. Researchers at Penn State have put forward a groundbreaking design that holds the potential to enhance the stability and effectiveness of power storage across diverse climatic conditions.

Published in Joule, the study focused on an advanced Li battery design called an all-climate battery (ACB).

Past design strategies have struggled to simultaneously boost efficiency in low temperatures while ensuring stability in high temperatures, leading to a compromise. Building on a decade of battery research, the team devised an innovative approach that enables ACBs to deliver consistent and efficient performance over a wide temperature range.

Chao-Yang Wang, the project’s principal investigator and a professor of mechanical engineering and chemical engineering, highlighted that Li batteries were initially designed for personal electronics operating at around 25 degrees Celsius (C), making them ill-equipped for the diverse applications they support today, such as electric vehicles and data centers.

Addressing this fundamental flaw in Li battery design is crucial to further the integration of these batteries into various systems. Wang emphasized the need to overcome the challenges posed by operating in different climates.

Despite the use of external heating or cooling systems to regulate battery temperature, these systems are bulky, power-intensive, and require frequent maintenance, Wang noted.

Even with external temperature management, Li batteries suffer performance degradation in cold temperatures and reduced stability at high temperatures, limiting their operational range to external temperatures between -30 to 45 C. This restricts their application in extreme environments like satellites or solar farms in deserts.

To address this limitation, the team proposed enhancing the traditional ACB design by incorporating an internal heating element. This novel approach optimizes battery construction materials for improved stability and safety in hot climates while utilizing internal heating to support battery operation in cold conditions.

Wang explained that this synergy, supported by previous research findings, allows researchers to enhance performance in both hot and cold climates without compromising stability and safety in either. By optimizing materials for high temperatures and integrating an internal heater to enhance performance in low temperatures, the team aims to overcome the thermal limitations of current designs.

The researchers plan to adjust the composition of electrodes and electrolytes in the ACB to better withstand high temperatures. Wang highlighted the challenges posed by the liquid electrolyte used in traditional Li batteries, which is not suitable for reliable operation at high temperatures.

The internal heating structure proposed by the team consists of a thin nickel foil film, approximately 10 microns thick—slightly larger than a red blood cell. This self-regulating system, powered by the battery itself, enables temperature control without adding significant weight or volume to the ACB.

This integrated approach is projected to expand the range of environments in which batteries can operate reliably, extending the operational temperature range to -50 to 75 C. Eliminating the need for external thermal management systems not only enhances versatility but also offers performance advantages.

Wang emphasized the cost savings and efficiency benefits of incorporating thermal management within the battery design, particularly in large-scale systems like data centers that rely on numerous Li batteries.

Looking ahead, the team plans to implement their ACB design, with potential optimizations to enable operation at even higher temperatures with further development and testing. This progress is essential to support the increasing demand for power storage in advanced technologies like artificial intelligence data centers and electric vehicles.

The research team includes Kaiqiang Qin, a postdoctoral student, and Nitesh Gupta, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering, both from Penn State.