These efforts will be to develop the industry’s energy density 200Wh/kg or more lithium-ion rechargeable battery, especially in the use of new materials development will be accelerated. At the same time for a new type of basic research over 500Wh/kg batteries are countries around the world. One popular candidate includes lithium metal, all solid-state, lithium-sulfur and lithium-air battery.
June 2009, IBM announced that the company is developing include the lithium-air (Li-air) after the design of lithium-ion rechargeable battery, IBM Corporation and in August 2009 for this issue invites researchers to participate in one of its host key international symposium.
In Japan, Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota Motor) actively engaged in basic research, and was established in June 2008 a new battery technologies for battery research in basic research, research in this sector are committed, such as between particles and between the electrode and electrolyte underlying theme of the interface reaction, and to develop new rechargeable lithium battery materials, all solid-state batteries, lithium batteries as the target gas. November 30, 2009 to December 2 hold 50th Battery Symposium in Japan, the Toyota car based on published nine research papers, showing that the company’s strong attempt in this area.
After the many candidates for lithium-ion rechargeable battery, the Toyota seems particularly interested in the whole solid-state batteries. Theoretically, the ideal of all solid state battery can achieve higher than the higher liquid electrolyte lithium diffusion rate, so that higher outputs than at high temperatures will burn the organic electrolyte safer, because Yeti shell design also seems to be simplified. But the formation of solid electrolyte and the interfacial reaction between electrode materials will significantly reduce battery performance.
Toyota said a source electrode and solid electrolyte (Li7P3S11) interface formed between the reactants with the variation of cathode materials. Specifically, the product layer of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) will cause the cathode cobalt and solid electrolyte in the mutual diffusion of sulfur and phosphorus, and when to lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) spinal as the cathode, the lithium manganese oxide release from oxygen will spread to the solid electrolyte, the resulting very high interfacial resistance.
Toyota researchers are split up efforts to clarify these two individual cases; they believe that if we can improve, such as lithium ion and the electrode conductivity and other properties will be able to develop a secure high-capacity battery.