Solid state batteries are considered the future for the autonomy of devices , more now than ever given the rise of electric vehicles. Below we will explain what they are, how they work and what is preventing their use from spreading in the current market.
Solid state batteries are smaller, lighter, and provide a higher power density than liquid electrolyte-based lithium-ion batteries, making them much safer at the same time. So what is blocking its large-scale use in the market? In this article we are going to explain it to you in great detail, but before getting to this, it is necessary to understand what these types of batteries are and how they work.
What are solid state batteries and how do they work?
The big difference between a solid-state battery and a lithium-ion battery, which are the ones used today, is that instead of using liquid electrolytes, they are solid . Lithium-ion batteries have undergone many technological advances, but experts believe they have already reached the limit of their efficiency and that the next step requires a completely different type of battery. That’s where solid state batteries come into the picture.
All batteries have three fundamental parts: the anode, the cathode and the electrolyte . The battery works because it has charged ions that want to travel from the cathode to the anode through the electrolyte, and this happens through a chemical reaction that takes place inside the battery and generates free electrons.
As a result, a positive charge is created on the cathode that attracts free electrons – since they have a negative charge – from the anode, and while these electrons travel is when the energy that powers our devices is produced.
The problem is that only some materials are valid to be in the batteries, so the components must be chosen very carefully based on their chemical properties. For this reason, advancing in battery technology involves improving the efficiency of an existing material or discovering new materials that work better. And since they have already tested with all existing materials, right now this technology can no longer continue to improve .
Solid state batteries are one of the discoveries that emerged in this process, the most promising. Different electrolytes are used to achieve the same goal as any other type of battery, but faster, cheaper and less prone to exploding so they are also safer.
The best-prepared electrolyte to replace lithium-ion batteries is made of sodium-based glass . According to the researchers, this type of electrolyte produces a battery with three times the charge density than the current ones, and has the advantage that sodium (salt) is a very common material on earth, making it inexpensive to manufacture and It also has a lower environmental impact.
Solid state batteries therefore use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid or polymeric one that improves almost all the characteristics of the battery. Indeed, all are advantages, and is that in fact they exceed the requirements that humanity has today. So what is stopping them from being used everywhere globally?
Why they have not yet reached the market
As we have said, solid state batteries are very promising because they only provide advantages and no disadvantages compared to current lithium ion batteries. The only problem there is in the manufacturing process, since it is still being investigated how we can manufacture this type of batteries at low cost and on a large scale , since at this time their manufacturing cost would make them too expensive for them to be adopted in the market.
This simply means that the development of such batteries is just beginning, and it won’t be long until they find a viable way to manufacture them on a large scale and at low cost. In fact, companies like the powerful Tesla are investing a lot of effort in implementing them in their electric cars and according to analysts, we will see these batteries on the market when the turning point is reached, which will be the moment when an electric car exceeds in terms of autonomy to one on gasoline.