New technology increases battery survivability with ultrasound

One of the promising analogues of traditional batteries is lithium-metal batteries with increased density and high charge speed, but the life of such batteries is lower than that of their predecessors. To solve this problem, researchers have created an ultrasound device that can increase this indicator several times.

Lithium-metal batteries have twice the capacity compared to lithium-ion counterparts, which doubles the range of electric vehicles, and increases the autonomy of other devices. To increase the number of recharge cycles of a new type of battery, scientists used a miniature ultrasonic emitter built into the battery case.

Due to the constant generation of high-frequency waves, it was possible to prevent the formation of dendrites (growths of metallic lithium), which lead to reduced battery performance and short circuits. The device was tested over 250 charge cycles, and it showed high efficiency.

In addition, when the ultrasonic emitter was integrated into a traditional battery, its number of recharge cycles increased to 2000. According to the creators of the technology, the next step will be its commercialization. It is planned to launch the production of classic batteries with an integrated ultrasonic device, as well as lithium-metal batteries, the “life” of which with the use of new technology will increase to competitive values.