US on cusp of revolutionary battery tech breakthrough

Ion Storage Systems is on the verge of a battery tech breakthrough. What began as a university research project is now rolling off the production line and being tested by the US Department of Defense.

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Lithium-ion batteries could eventually be replaced by solid-state batteries, which Ion Storage Systems in Beltsville, Maryland, is developing and is currently being tested by the Department of Defense and other major electronics manufacturers. What is the difference? According to reports, solid-state batteries are typically described as the "holy grail" of energy storage, as they replace the liquid electrolyte and graphite in a lithium-ion battery with a solid ceramic material and lithium metal.

The difference between these two designs is severe, with solid-state batteries having higher energy density, faster charging, greater safety, and longer lifespan. For those who don't know, lithium-ion battery cells can overheat and, in some cases, combust, causing thermal runaway, which is an escalating series of exothermic reactions within a battery cell. An example of this is an electric car battery catching fire and firefighters being unable to put it out as the cells within the battery keep combusting, resulting in more fires and a domino effect occurring.

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Solid-state batteries aren't flammable, or at least the design by Ion Storage Systems. The innovation can be traced back to one aspect of the solid-state battery design, the ceramic electrolyte. Most solid-state battery designs are unable to deal with the contraction and expansion of the battery as it charges and discharges. However, Ion Storage Systems ceramic is porous, allowing lithium ions to move between the electrodes and operate within the confines of the contraction and expansion.

Notably, internal testing of this new battery design has proven that a solid-state battery created by Ion Storage Systems can complete 1,000 full charge cycles and still maintain more than 80% of its capacity. This is a critical test as consumer electronics that will need these batteries will need to be able to retain their capacity for a significant number of charge cycles.

While this is just a start, Ion Storage Systems has already attracted the attention of the Department of Energy, with the company receiving $20 million from them to fast-track the development process of the new tech. Additionally, that $20 million was matched by private investment. Moreover, the new batteries are already being evaluated for military applications, along with next-generation consumer electronics, particularly in the areas of fast-charging and long battery life.

It will still be some time before we will see solid-state batteries in popular consumer electronics such as smartphones, but the technology development is looking promising, especially considering how much attention the design has gained from the Department of Energy and US military.