Lithium News

At first glance, the plan sounds compelling: invent and develop future electrolyzers capable of producing hydrogen directly from unpurified seawater. But a closer look reveals that such direct seawater electrolyzers would require years of high-end research. Furthermore, DSE electrolyzers are not even necessary—a simple desalination process is sufficient to prepare seawater for conventional electrolyzers.

In a commentary in Joule, international experts compare the costs and benefits of the different approaches and come to a clear recommendation.

Fresh water is a limited resource; more than 96% of the world’s water is found in the oceans. If seawater could be fed directly into a future electrolyzer to produce green hydrogen using renewable energy from the wind or sun, it could be a feasible solution. Hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding are spent on this idea, and in 2023 alone, there were more than 500 publications (this number is growing exponentially) on direct seawater electrolysis.

No need for new development

However, a techno-economic analysis shows that this argument collapses as soon as the costs and benefits are analyzed in more detail.

“There is no convincing reason to develop DSE technology because there are already efficient solutions for using seawater to produce hydrogen,” says Dr. Jan Niklas Hausmann, electrolysis researcher at HZB and lead author of the Joule commentary. International experts from various disciplines from renowned research institutions such as Yale University, universities in Canada, Germany and HZB contributed to the commentary.

It is already possible to use seawater to produce hydrogen. Proven processes such as reverse osmosis can be used to purify seawater for “normal,” commercially available electrolyzers. From a thermodynamic point of view, the purification of seawater needs only 0.03% of the energy required for its electrolysis. This is also reflected in the current cost: purifying seawater to produce one kilogram of hydrogen costs less than two cents. However, one kilogram of hydrogen costs 13.85 euros at German filling stations.

Investing money wisely

The development of new types of electrolyzers that can operate steadily in seawater would only save this cheap purification step. In contrast, the development of DSE electrolyzers is extremely challenging and it is highly questionable that they would ever be able to match the efficiency and long-term stability of today’s electrolyzers.

Experts see major challenges here: Seawater contains a wide variety of organic and inorganic substances that can cause corrosion and fouling, affecting all parts of the electrolyzer. DSE is currently being advertised as a real-world solution for hydrogen production—a promise that cannot be kept and could swallow up a lot of taxpayers’ money, the researchers warn.

“We can compare this with the direct use of crude oil to run cars,” explains Hausmann. “It is possible to develop such cars, but they would just not be as efficient and long-lasting as ones running on purified petrol. This is despite the fact that the cost of purifying crude oil (via refinery) is up to 16% of the final price of the fuel, which is significantly higher than the relative cost of purifying seawater for electrolysis (<1%).”

Getting electrolysis research on track to contribute to decarbonization

“Academic research does not necessarily have to lead to immediate solutions. However, if DSE is presented as a quick fix and is pushed or hyped to the detriment of other more promising approaches, it will tie up resources that will be lacking elsewhere for the development of key decarbonization technologies,” explains Dr. Prashanth Menezes, an expert on catalysts at HZB.

“If we want to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, funding must be directed to developments that can quickly contribute to this,” says Menezes.

Lithium deposits have been found in the Mandya and Yadgiri districts of Karnataka, said Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences in Rajya Sabha.
The minister stated in a written reply that the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of the Department of Atomic Energy, has found the presence of Lithium resources in the Mandya and Yadgiri districts, Karnataka.

He informed the house that AMD has established 1,600 tonnes (G3 stage) of Lithium resources in the Marlagalla area, Mandya district, and preliminary surveys and limited subsurface exploration have been carried out in the Yadgiri district to know about the deposits.

He also added that AMD is carrying out exploration for Lithium in the potential geological domains in parts of Korba District, Chhattisgarh. However, the major mica belts located in Rajasthan, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh and Pegmatite Belts in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka are the potential geological domains in the country for Lithium resources.

Singh shared that a preliminary survey carried out recently by AMD in Himachal Pradesh has led to the identification of surface uranium occurrence in Masanbal, Hamirpur district. He categorically mentioned that the Atomic Energy Commission has not conducted any study to establish an atomic energy plant in Himachal Pradesh.

According to the reply given by Singh in the upper house, the Department of Atomic Energy is taking note of the developments and recent trends worldwide in the field of small modular reactors. While the different technologies and designs of small modular reactors, as published by different countries and foreign-based vendors, are being studied for gathering technical details, no proposal to collaborate with foreign vendors/countries is under consideration at present.

He also shared that, at present, no private player has shown interest in producing a small modular reactor. However, a few private players have shown interest in deploying small reactors in their captive sites.

The minister also added that the Government of India and the Government of the Russian Federation have expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including cooperation in the field of Small Modular Reactors.

Israeli auto-tech company Addionics has completed a $39 million Series B round led by GM Ventures, the investment arm of General Motors, and the Deep Insight fund. The global truck and bus manufacturer Scania also participated in this round, along with several existing and new investors, including Union Tech Ventures, Delek Motors, Next Gear Ventures, Doral, Catalyst, Iron Nation Arc Ventures, GiTV, Susten, KCP, 8090 Industries, Jeff Horing, and other existing investors.

Series B rounds have recently become one of the most challenging stages for raising capital, as investors expect to see significant progress in bringing the product to market and achieving sales of at least several million dollars. Addionics had not raised money since 2022, and with the current round, the total investment in the company reaches $79 million.

Researchers have developed a new generation of lithium metal batteries which can offer extended lifespan and more safety at elevated temperatures.

The research team was led by Professor Dong-Myeong Shin of Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

The lithium metal battery innovation is focused on microcrack-free polymer electrolytes.

The lithium metal battery innovation

Batteries have become an essential part of everyday lives, however the ones which are in use today use liquid electrolytes and carbonaceous anodes.

Moreover, they also have other drawbacks such as safety concerns, short lifespan, and inadequate power density.

Further, there is a need to have batteries which can operate at extreme temperatures – to meet industrial sector requirements, and for other specific jobs.

This requirements has led researchers to look for solid electrolytes that are fit for use with lithium metal anodes. The lithium metal anodes are known for their high theoretical specific power capacity.

The microcrack-free polymer electrolytes developed by Professor Shin’s team are synthesized via a straightforward one-step click reaction, exhibiting notable attributes including resistance to dendrite growth and non-flammability, demonstrating a high electrochemical stability window up to 5 V, and an ionic conductivity of 3.1 × 10−5 S cm−1 at high temperatures.

These enhancements are attributed to tethered borate anions within the microcrack-free membranes, which facilitate accelerated selective transport of Li+ ions and suppress dendrite formation, according to a release by the University of Hong Kong.

Polymer membranes play a key role in enhancing performance

The release further mentions that these anionic network polymer membranes enable lithium metal batteries to function as safe, long-cycling energy storage devices at high temperatures, maintaining 92.7% capacity retention and averaging 99.867% coulombic efficiency over 450 cycles at 100°C.

Normally, the cycling performance of conventional liquid electrolytes Li metal batteries is fewer than 10 cycles at high temperatures.

The breakthrough potentially paves the way for future advancements in anionic polymer electrolyte design for next-generation lithium batteries.

“We believe this innovation opens doors for new battery chemistries that can revolutionize rechargeable batteries for high-temperature applications, emphasizing safety and longevity,” said Dr Jingyi Gao, the first author of the paper.

Apart from applications in high-temperature scenarios, the microcrack-free electrolyte membranes also have the potential to enable fast charging due to low overpotential. This capability could allow electric vehicles to recharge in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, marking a significant advancement towards a clean energy future,” Professor Shin added.

The findings have been published in the journal Advanced Science.

Tesla has released an encouraging update on the development of its 4680 battery cells, which it was reportedly close to giving up on.

According to a recent report, Elon Musk reportedly gave an end-of-the-year deadline for Tesla’s team to deliver on the 4680 battery cell, which it first unveiled in 2020 and claimed would drastically reduce battery costs while improving performance.

The report mentioned issues with the dry coating process on the cathode.

With the release of its Q2 2024 earnings, Tesla shared an update on the 4680 cell – seen being handled by the Optimus robot above:

In Q2, we produced over 50% more 4680 cells than in Q1 and continued to see cost improvements. In July, we entered validation of vehicle testing for our first prototype Cybertruck produced with in-house dry cathode 4680 cells – a major cost reduction milestone once ramped. Cost reduction across our product lineup remains a top priority.

A more than 50% increase in volume quarter-over-quarter is impressive, but let’s keep in mind that production was already limited as Tesla is currently only producing the cells for the Cybertruck, which is still in relatively low production.

The bigger news is that Tesla has started producing prototypes using the dry cathode, which should deliver the biggest cost reduction if it proves successful.

It’s important to keep in mind that there are significant differences between the prototype stage and the production stage.

Tesla has been guiding that 4680 costs would be below that of battery cell suppliers by the end of the year.

If it can deliver on that goal, Tesla’s 4680 battery cell program would finally start to have a positive impact on the company and the industry.

In recent years, batteries have become ubiquitous in consumers’ daily lives. However, existing commercial battery technologies, which use liquid electrolytes and carbonaceous anodes, have certain drawbacks such as safety concerns, limited lifespan, and inadequate power density particularly at high temperatures.

Yet, there is an increasing need for batteries that can operate in extreme conditions, such as the high temperatures required in various industrial sectors, including medical device sterilization, subsurface exploration, and thermal reactors.

This has prompted researchers to search for solid electrolytes that are safe and compatible with lithium metal anodes, which are known for their high theoretical specific power capacity.

A research team led by Professor Dong-Myeong Shin of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a new generation of lithium metal batteries, representing a significant advancement in the field. Their innovation centers on microcrack-free polymer electrolytes, integral to these batteries, which promise extended lifespan and enhanced safety at elevated temperatures.

The findings have been published in the journal Advanced Science with the title “Accelerated Selective Li+ Transports Assisted by Microcrack-Free Anionic Network Polymer Membranes for Long Cyclable Lithium Metal Batteries.”

The microcrack-free polymer electrolytes developed by Professor Shin’s team are synthesized via a straightforward one-step click reaction, exhibiting notable attributes including resistance to dendrite growth and non-flammability, demonstrating a high electrochemical stability window up to 5 V, and an ionic conductivity of 3.1 × 10−5 S cm−1 at high temperatures.

These enhancements are attributed to tethered borate anions within the microcrack-free membranes, which facilitate accelerated selective transport of Li+ ions and suppress dendrite formation. Ultimately, these anionic network polymer membranes enable lithium metal batteries to function as safe, long-cycling energy storage devices at high temperatures, maintaining 92.7% capacity retention and averaging 99.867% coulombic efficiency over 450 cycles at 100°C. Normally, the cycling performance of conventional liquid electrolyte Li metal batteries is fewer than 10 cycles at high temperatures.

The breakthrough by the research team potentially paves the way for future advancements in anionic polymer electrolyte design for next-generation lithium batteries.

“We believe this innovation opens doors for new battery chemistries that can revolutionize rechargeable batteries for high-temperature applications, emphasizing safety and longevity,” said Dr. Jingyi Gao, the first author of the paper.

“Apart from applications in high-temperature scenarios, the microcrack-free electrolyte membranes also have the potential to enable fast charging due to low overpotential. This capability could allow electric vehicles to recharge in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, marking a significant advancement towards a clean energy future,” Professor Shin added.