What makes lithium-ion batteries fail? Microscopic metal thorns give leads to scientists

What makes lithium-ion batteries fail? Microscopic metal thorns give leads to scientists

This is the first time that scientists have observed the growth of tiny metal thorns known as dendrites grow within lithium-ion batteries thus making the batteries short-circuit. Their results published Mar. 12 in the journal Science illuminate the hitherto unrecognized mechanical aspects of the lithium dendrites during their development. Lithium dendrites have been the subject […]

Recipe for safer batteries — Just add diamonds

Recipe for safer batteries — Just add diamonds

While lithium-ion batteries, widely used in mobile devices from cell phones to laptops, have one of the longest lifespans of commercial batteries today, they also have been behind a number of recent meltdowns and fires due to short-circuiting in mobile devices. In hopes of preventing more of these hazardous malfunctions researchers at Drexel University have […]

Supervolcanoes: A key to America’s electric future?

Supervolcanoes: A key to America’s electric future?

Most of the lithium used to make the lithium-ion batteries that power modern electronics comes from Australia and Chile. But Stanford scientists say there are large deposits in sources right here in America: supervolcanoes. In a study published today in Nature Communications, scientists detail a new method for locating lithium in supervolcanic lake deposits. The […]