Reconnecting 'dead' lithium with its electrode extends battery life (IMAGE)
Caption
When an island of inactivated lithium metal travels to a battery’s anode, or negative electrode, and reconnects, it comes back to life, contributing electrons to the battery’s current flow and lithium ions for storing charge until it’s needed. The island moves by adding lithium metal at one end (blue) and dissolving it at the other end (red). Researchers from SLAC and Stanford discovered that they could drive the island’s growth in the direction of the anode by adding a brief, high-current discharging step right after the battery charges. Reconnecting the island to the anode increased the lifetime of their lithium-ion test cell by nearly 30%.
Credit
Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
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