Science of SLAC | Batteries for the Future: What's Possible?

Increased demand for energy storage in consumer electronics, electric vehicles and the power grid presents opportunities and challenges for rechargeable battery research and development. Lithium ion batteries have been the dominant power source for consumer electronics. This lecture reviews the existing technology and presents promising future battery technologies that could have significantly higher energy density, lower cost, better safety and longer life. Novel battery chemistries and materials are key to a revolutionary change. SLAC facilities can play an important role in fundamental and applied research on batteries.

Yi Cui is an associate professor at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1998 and a PhD from Harvard University in 2002. He was a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley from 2003 to 2005. Cui is an associate editor of Nano Letters and a co-director of the Bay Area Photovoltaic Consortium, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. He founded Amprius Inc. in 2008 to commercialize high-energy battery technology.

[darrylrobidaable]

Thank You Professor Cui for your most competent and optimistic view of battery development.

[sanjayraisoni]

What a clear and concise explanation of current battery technologies and the evolution of the battery.

[mattbohlsen]

Some mistakes at the 21 min mark
92k tonne produced was lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) not elemental lithium. 1g elemental Lithium = 5.329g LCE . 1kWh = 0.9kg LCE
A 60kh EV (say a Tesla) uses about 51-54 kg of
So when the author said a Tesla uses 14kgs of lithium he is referring to elemental lithium. It really uses around 54kgs of LCE. So the calculation should use 54kgs as that is LCE, and he compares that to 92K production of LCE (NOT elemental lithium)....So his figures are all out by a factor of 5.329 x.
Otherwise a nice video, thanks.
Matt Bohlsen

[redxsage]

This was a very nice presentation. But for some reason I am unable to add it to a playlist?

[skylark]

Very informative.Brief and to the point *Thanks

[alikhoobiary]

I very much enjoyed it.
Pretty straight forward explanation of where we are and plans for the future. Would have enjoyed a bit more logistics.

[InventPeace]

One problem with Li-ion batteries: If voltage every goes too low, it never work again; Ni-Mh is much more generous in this one area; so IMHO Ni-Mh is best for safety (no explosions, although can burn if overcharged), long life, with low enough weight for cars. IE Texaco bought he Ni-mh Battery patents from Ovshinski thru underhanded GM ruse to use in electric cars. then buried it until it run out in 2016, but "someone" is putting lots of $ behind pushing Li batteries. Prius uses as you say, NiMh. My own test taking small NiMh and small Li-ion, I ran them both down, then tied the + & - together with resistor, in morning Li-ion is dead forever, but Nimh come back to near normal after charge once, run down then charge again; and it worked in cordless phone for years more ! ; so I think Nimh is much more viable for cars.
2. For whole house "power walls" Ni-Fe (nickle iron) cells while heavier, is not a problem since not moving them, AND they last 100 years ! wow, batteries to put in your last will for inheritance by your children and grandchildren.

[Mrclingerful]

how do I keep coming back to this video.

[Xanimun]

If I'm not looking at the screen, it seems that Jian-Yang is giving the speech

[SLAC]

Associate professor Yi Cui discusses how novel battery chemistries and materials are key to a revolutionary change, and how SLAC facilities can play an important role in fundamental and applied research on batteries.

[monumalik]

Awesome video... is there any possibility to get this presentation in ppt or pdf format. that will be a great help. Thanks a lot.

[florencemarini]

AMAZING photo at 30:00, view 'c' shows actual 'X-ray' ! Call CERN!

[markorakic]

Your pomegranate cells look like cells in electric ray (torpedo), the one studied by Alessandro Volta when he discovered a first battery, I would like to see more about that.

[bartoszbarejko]

If we really want the green power we must tune in the magnetism with the frequency in the golden ratio. And that is propulsive impulse in shape in time one like a Leaf wave form in the dimension of space and time.

Our key component of implosion in the magnetic and kinetic device will be specially designed pipes called twister pipes which will imitates Vortex flow.

The natural spiral pipes movement can be witnessed in every creek river or air current like tornadoes and hurricanes. Any medium like water or magnetic gases experiences rhythmic balanced interchange so called oscillation which is the outcome of interchanges between two forces, the centripetal and the centrifugal action.
These pipes allow the two way piston stroke against each another.
The twister pipes imitate in short the forces requiring in a Vortex.
This unusual design does away with resistance friction and molecular disintegration of the medium and the usual in cross station and deterioration of the pipes, but Increases the throughput thermally and perform with suction instead of pressure to move the inside mediums.
Taped conical pipes concentrate multiply and
amplify the medium potential, these pipes are assembled into systems and devices one like a turbines and propulsion systems.

The best outcome will be so called controlled implosion with internal magnetic and combustion witch will explode fuel to push in fence of action against opposing pressure during the change of potential.
Work is performed like this is the way nature work. The basics is to look how nature work and tune in or copy do not invent something unreal, but duplicate natural processes.

We must generate the vacuum and the vortex at the same time so to compressed volume power and push it thru the Vortex windings from inside of the pipes and windings. We will have also tune it all together sometimes with help of external power.


We must replace our present static technology with more kinetic one and more biotechnology which supports life.


Bartosz Barejko. Skype: bartosbpl

[mattbohlsen]

Lithium Sulphur batteries do have greater energy density but about 50% less charge cycles than lithium Silicon replacing graphite in the anode does help increase energy density considerably, but there are still issue with the silicon expanding...so not yet viable.

[rgaleny]

why don't they try a Sodium alloy as an anode ?

[ThankYouESM]

Since atoms are in constant motion and the smallest (man-made) motor is nano-sized... why not arrange them as rotatory strands for which the spinning will be exponentiated? If not mistaken, such a dynamo-powered battery should naturally never need recharging while much safer than those conventional.

[williamsknowledgetruth]

Sweet who doesn’t love more bang for less money with more safety. Love you’re ti-chi analogy. How did Bruce Lee say it. Be the water my friend. You must flow.

[TheAarowsmith]

Looks like lithium, nicad, led acid, and NIMH rechargable batteries will be around for at least 30 more years.

[shanereinholdt]

Dr. Moore's Law
Dr. moore's wrote on the transistor speaking about the fact that over a short period of time he had observed a doubling of capacity upon the same area sq/inch. while the cost being half of that during the same period. The period of time noted in his original paper was roughly 18months. Moore's Law has remained the factual since 1956 when he wrote the paper while employed by intel.

And when industry applies itself full heartedly due to capitalistic competitive forces Dr. Moore's Law becomes a notable pattern with anything of which is silicon based materials. We see that with microprocessor aka the computing power of computers while doubling in processing power they also are half the size, and half the cost.
I'd say now a days most inmterresting fact since we seen those multi-product development corporations for example japanese engineering corp. Honda, and other major Japanese firms, and Americas tesla (solar city), German, and chinese firms that are respondisble in mfg of solar panels these days we have noted the solar panel cost per kilowatt has been half while utilizing the same sun space doiubled in its conversion effectiency. Another silicon product that obeys Dr. Moore's Law...