Challenges In The Design And Production Of Lithium Ion Battery

This study is on “challenges in the design and production of lithium ion battery”. Li‐ion batteries are the powerhouse for the digital electronic revolution in this modern mobile society, exclusively used in mobile phones and laptop computers. The success of commercial Li‐ion batteries in the 1990s was not an overnight achievement, but a result of intensive research and contribution by many great scientists and engineers. Then much efforts have been put to further improve the performance of Li‐ion batteries, achieved certain significant progress. To meet the increasing demand for energy storage, particularly from increasingly popular electric vehicles, intensified research is required to develop next‐generation Li‐ion batteries with dramatically improved performances, including improved specific energy and volumetric energy density, cyclability, charging rate, stability, and safety. There are still notable challenges in the development of next‐generation Li‐ion batteries. New battery concepts have to be further developed to go beyond Li‐ion batteries in the future. In this work, the focus is to introduce the basic concepts, highlight the recent progress, and discuss the challenges regarding Li‐ion batteries’ design and production. Brief discussion on popularly studied “beyond Li‐ion” batteries is also provided.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWELDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

• AIM OF THE PROJECT
• OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
• ADVANTAGES OF LITHIUM BATTERY
• DISADVANTAGES OF LITHIUM BATTERY
• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

• OVERVIEW OF LITHIUM-ION BATTERY
• LITERATURE SURVEY OF THE STUDY
• BRIEF REVIEW ON THE HISTORY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF LI‐ION BATTERIES
• PROGRESS IN LI‐ION BATTERIES
• BALANCING OF MATERIALS IN CELLS

CHAPTER THREE

3.0     METHODOLOGY

3.1       BASICS OF LI‐ION BATTERIES

3.2     CHALLENGES IN THE DESIGN AND PRODUCTION OF LITHIUM ION BATTERIES

3.3       COST REDUCTION BY WATER-BASED PROCESSING

3.4       FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COST REDUCTION

CHAPTER FOUR

• DESGIN OF LITHIUM BATTERY

CHAPTER FIVE

• SUMMARY
• CONCLUSION
• REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION

Li‐ion batteries, as one of the most advanced rechargeable batteries, are attracting much attention in the past few decades. They are currently the dominant mobile power sources for portable electronic devices, exclusively used in cell phones and laptop computers 1. Li‐ion batteries are considered the powerhouse for the personal digital electronic revolution starting from about two decades ago, roughly at the same time when Li‐ion batteries were commercialized. As one may has already noticed from his/her daily life, the increasing functionality of mobile electronics always demand for better Li‐ion batteries. For example, to charge the cell phone with increasing functionalities less frequently as the current phone will improve quality of one’s life. Another important expanding market for Li‐ion batteries is electric and hybrid vehicles, which require next‐generation Li‐ion batteries with not only high power, high capacity, high charging rate, long life, but also dramatically improved safety performance and low cost. In the USA, Obama administration has set a very ambitious goal to have one million plug‐in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015. There are similar plans around the word in promotion of electric and hybrid vehicles as well. The Foreign Policy magazine even published an article entitled “The great battery race” to highlight the worldwide interest in Li‐ion batteries 2.

The demand for Li‐ion batteries increases rapidly, especially with the demand from electric‐powered vehicles (Fig. 1). It is expected that nearly 100 GW hours of Li‐ion batteries are required to meet the needs from consumer use and electric‐powered vehicles with the later takes about 50% of Li‐ion battery sale by 2018 3. Furthermore, Li‐ion batteries will also be employed to buffer the intermittent and fluctuating green energy supply from renewable resources, such as solar and wind, to smooth the difference between energy supply and demand. For example, extra solar energy generated during the day time can be stored in Li‐ion batteries that will supply energy at night when sun light is not available. Large‐scale Li‐ion batteries for grid application will require next‐generation batteries to be produced at low cost. Another important aspect of Li‐ion batteries is related to battery safety. The recent fire on two Boeing 787 Dreamliner associated with Li‐ion batteries once again highlights the critical importance of battery safety 4, 5. This will trigger another wave of extensive research and development to enhance safety of Li‐ion batteries, beyond pursuing high‐energy density.

In this work, we will discuss and have have a comprehensive coverage due to the limited scope, but instead I will highlight the basics, progress, and challenges regarding Li‐ion batteries.

Figure 1: Demand for Li‐ion batteries in two decades. Reproduced with permission 3.

1.2                                       AIM OF THE STUDY

The main aim of this work is to discuss the challenges regarding Li‐ion batteries design and production.

1.3                               OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

At the end of this work, the student involved shall be able to understand:

1. the basic concepts,
2. highlight the recent progress,
3. and discuss the challenges regarding Li‐ion batteries production.

1.4                  ADVANTAGES OF LITHIUM ION BATTERY

There are many advantages to using a li-ion cell of battery. These li-ion battery advantages include:

• High energy density:   The high energy density is one of the chief advantages of lithium ion battery technology. With electronic equipment such as mobile phones needing to operate longer between charges while still consuming more power, there is always a need to batteries with a much higher energy density. In addition to this, there are many power applications from power tools to electric vehicles. The much higher power density offered by lithium ion batteries is a distinct advantage. Electric vehicles also need a battery technology that has a high energy density.
• Self-discharge:   One issue with many rechargeable batteries is the self discharge rate. Lithium ion cells is that their rate of self-discharge is much lower than that of other rechargeable cells such as Ni-Cad and NiMH forms. It is typically around 5% in the first 4 hours after being charged but then falls to around 1 or 2% per month.
• Low maintenance:   One major lithium ion battery advantage is that they do not require and maintenance to ensure their performance. Ni-Cad cells required a periodic discharge to ensure that they did not exhibit the memory effect. As this does not affect lithium ion cells, this process or other similar maintenance procedures are not required.
• No requirement for priming:   Some rechargeable cells need to be primed when they receive their first charge. There is no requirement for this with lithium ion cells and batteries.
• Variety of types available:   There are several types of lithium ion cell available. This advantage of lithium ion batteries can mean that the right technology can be used for the particular application needed. Some forms of lithium ion battery provide a high current density and are ideal for consumer mobile electronic equipment. Others are able to provide much higher current levels and are ideal for power tools and electric vehicles.

1.4              DISADVANTAGES OF LITHIUM ION BATTERY

The li-ion battery disadvantages include:

• Protection required:   Lithium ion cells and batteries are not as robust as some other rechargeable technologies. They require protection from being over charged and discharged too far. In addition to this, they need to have the current maintained within safe limits. Accordingly one lithium ion battery disadvantage is that they require protection circuitry incorporated to ensure they are kept within their safe operating limits. Fortunately with modern integrated circuit technology, this can be relatively easily incorporated into the battery, or within the equipment if the battery is not interchangeable. Incorporation of the battery management circuitry enables li-ion batteries to be used without any special knowledge. They can be left on charge and after the battery is fully charged the charger will cut the supply to it.
• Ageing :   One of the major lithium ion battery disadvantages for consumer electronics is that lithium ion batteries suffer from ageing. Not only is this time or calendar dependent, but it is also dependent upon the number of charge discharge cycles that the battery has undergone. Often batteries will only be able to withstand 500 – 1000 charge discharge cycles before their capacity falls. With the development of li-ion technology, this figure is increasing, but after a while batteries may need replacing and this can be an issue if they are embedded in the equipment. When a typical consumer lithium cobalt oxide, LCO battery or cell needs to be stored it should be partially charged – around 40% to 50% and kept in a cool storage area. Storage under these conditions will help increase the life.
• Transportation:   This li-ion battery disadvantage has come to the fore in recent years. Many airlines limit the number of lithium ion batteries they take, and this means their transportation is limited to ships. For air travellers, lithium ion batteries often need to be in carry-on luggage, although with the security position, this may change from time to time. But the number of batteries may be limited. Any lithium ion battieries carried separately must be protected against short circuits by protective covers, etc.
• Cost:   A major lithium ion battery disadvantage is their cost. Typically they are around 40% more costly to manufacture than Nickel cadmium cells. This is a major factor when considering their use in mass produced consumer items where any additional costs are a major issue.
• Immature technology:   Although lithium ion batteries have been available for many years, it can still be considered an immature technology by some as it is very much a developing area. This can be a disadvantage in terms of the fact that the technology does not remain constant. However as new lithium ion technologies are being developed all the time, it can also be an advantage as better solutions are coming available.

1.6                             SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The most important of this work is that it discusses the challenges of the design and production of lithium battery and at the same times provide solution to the challenges in other to increase the production rate of the battery.