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Enabling Rapid Charging Lithium Metal Batteries via Surface Acoustic Wave-Driven Electrolyte Flow
An Huang1, Haodong Liu2, Ofer Manor3
1Materials Science and Engineering Program and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|February 19, 2020
Summary
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices enable stable lithium metal batteries by improving lithium plating. This innovation prevents dendrite formation and enhances battery performance and longevity.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Lithium metal batteries offer high energy density but suffer from instability due to ion depletion, leading to dendrite formation and battery failure.
- Current lithium metal battery technology faces challenges with poor performance and safety concerns stemming from lithium dendrite growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices to mitigate dendrite formation and improve lithium plating in lithium metal batteries.
- To demonstrate a novel, chemistry-agnostic method for enhancing the stability and performance of lithium metal batteries.
Main Methods:
- Integration of a 100 MHz surface acoustic wave (SAW) device into lithium metal battery cells.
- Utilizing acoustic streaming induced by the SAW device to control electrolyte flow during charging.
- Morphological analysis of lithium deposition and performance testing of SAW-integrated cells.
Main Results:
- SAW integration enabled dense, dendrite-free lithium plating with near-theoretical density.
- SAW-integrated cells operated at current densities up to 6 mA cm-2, compared to 2 mA cm-2 for cells without SAW, which short-circuited.
- In a Li||LFP cell, SAW integration reduced lithium consumption from 41% to 8% and increased uncycled lithium.
Conclusions:
- Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices effectively suppress dendrite formation and improve lithium plating morphology in lithium metal batteries.
- The SAW-driven acoustic streaming provides a viable solution for enhancing lithium metal battery performance and safety.
- A theoretical model was developed to guide the integration of this chemistry-agnostic SAW technology into various battery systems.
