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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Elemental-sensitive Detection of the Chemistry in Batteries through Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
Published on: April 17, 2018
Towards greener and more sustainable batteries for electrical energy storage
11] Laboratoire de Réactivité et Chimie des Solides UPJV, CNRS UMR 7314, 33 rue Saint Leu, 80039 Amiens, France [2] ALISTORE-European Research Institute, 80039 Amiens, France [3] Réseau sur le Stockage Electrochimique de l'Energie (RS2E), FR CNRS 3459, France.
Abstract:
Ever-growing energy needs and depleting fossil-fuel resources demand the pursuit of sustainable energy alternatives, including both renewable energy sources and sustainable storage technologies. It is therefore essential to incorporate material abundance, eco-efficient synthetic processes and life-cycle analysis into the design of new electrochemical storage systems. At present, a few existing technologies address these issues, but in each case, fundamental and technological hurdles remain to be overcome. Here we provide an overview of the current state of energy storage from a sustainability perspective. We introduce the notion of sustainability through discussion of the energy and environmental costs of state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries, considering elemental abundance, toxicity, synthetic methods and scalability. With the same themes in mind, we also highlight current and future electrochemical storage systems beyond lithium-ion batteries. The complexity and importance of recycling battery materials is also discussed.
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