The quest for a safer battery: Solid-state electrolytes?
LONDON – 2016 was the year of Li-ion batteries’ silver jubilee, a coming of age that has not been hassle-free, as Samsung’s Firegate showed us. This year might mark the first significant switch to new materials in the electrolyte compartment, with both large and small companies trying to bring inorganic and polymer electrolytes to commercial fruition. Polymer-based electrolytes can already be found in Bolloré’s cars in France, and several companies like SEEO, Solvay, and Solidenergyare betting on organic ionic conductors for wearables, drones, and electric vehicles. Solvay in particular is trying to leverage its extensive in-house expertise on PVdF binders to...
Read More
