Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists are developing a formula for fulfillment — by studying how a brand new style of battery fails. The team’s goal is the design for long-term storage of wind and solar energy, that are produced intermittently, enabling their broader use as reliable energy sources for the electrical grid.
Batteries store and release energy as ions shift between electrodes, often through a liquid electrolyte. Nevertheless, ORNL researchers engineered a battery by which sodium ions travel through a more durable and energy-packed solid electrolyte made with enhanced conductivity.
Solid electrolytes are considered the following frontier of batteries, if scientists can address challenges equivalent to understanding how they fail in high-demand conditions. The ORNL-led team ran the battery under high current or voltage inside a robust X-ray beam. On the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, researchers observed ions depositing in pores of the electrolyte, eventually forming structures that cause a brief circuit.
“We will use this information to know the best way to improve this really promising solid electrolyte material that would support storing renewable energy for longer periods,” said ORNL researcher Mengya Li.
