Hungarian scientists work on improving lithium-ion batteries

By Alimat Aliyeva

The innovative development of a number of European research and experimental centers in the field of battery technology can be a solution to one of the most serious problems faced by electric vehicles these days. Such problems include, for example, a limited power reserve, Azernews reports.

Researchers from the banks of the Danube are developing multifunctional batteries that not only provide energy to electric vehicles, but also act as an organic part of the vehicle itself, which leads to the creation of lighter cars and an increase in travel distance. And this technology will benefit not only electric car manufacturers, but also consumers and, ultimately, of course, the entire population, who will breathe cleaner air.

Lithium-ion batteries are currently the standard for powering electric vehicles, drones and smartphones. However, they have a significant drawback: their energy density is still not high enough to meet the needs of long-distance transport. This disadvantage, in particular, has forced scientists to look for solutions that integrate the battery directly into the vehicle structure, allowing them to simultaneously store energy and cope with mechanical stress. This is exactly what structural (or structural) batteries can do.

The idea of such batteries was first put forward in the mid-2000s, when such new energy storage systems first appeared. The first tests were conducted in the US Army, but developments are now underway all over the world, including in Hungary. They are working to improve the efficiency of the technology. The "structural" battery, as it is called, will be the skeleton of a car or household appliance. In the past, many prototypes of this type of battery have been built – with aluminum as the positive electrode, an easily accessible material but impractical to use. Therefore, scientists began to look for new materials, and then they discovered the ability of carbon fibers to store electrical energy and serve as electrodes in lithium-ion batteries.

In 2021, a team of Hungarian researchers created the first carbon fiber structural battery with a capacity of 24 watt-hours per kilogram, which has now been improved. The latest battery is made of composite material and uses carbon fiber as electrodes. However, it serves not only as an electrode in the battery, but is also used in other parts of the device, allowing you to create a device without using copper or aluminum. And this, according to scientists, is another advantage of the novelty.