This potentially revolutionary material based on rock silicates is therefore a promising option in the context of producing devices that allow energy storage. These batteries are widely used and have recently become particularly popular due to the growing demand for electric cars and energy storage from renewable sources.
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According to the Danish researchers, their design should ensure lower costs than before. However, the benefits do not end there, as it also offers higher resistance to moisture, which can be a major problem for currently used batteries. The material under study seems to be well suited for the production of devices with solid electrolytes.
Rock silicate components are commonly found in minerals. They have the ability to conduct ions at high temperatures and are resistant to moisture. For this reason, the research team members decided to evaluate the potential of potassium silicate for solid electrolyte production. Until now, this alternative had been ignored due to the large size of potassium ions.
Using rock silicates, scientists want to create inexpensive, efficient, moisture-resistant batteries.
However, more detailed studies have shown that this approach has enormous potential. The cheap and environmentally friendly component can be obtained from silicates and used on a large scale. Scientists have also found a way to speed up the movement of ions in silicates, making them superior to lithium-based electrolytes in this regard.
Preliminary results on the performance of this solution indicate that the material tested exhibits very high conductivity as a solid electrolyte. A very thin layer of this material has been placed between the anode and cathode that make up the battery cell. While the progress made so far is encouraging, the parties involved are also somewhat optimistic. It’s not a matter of long-term vision, it’s a matter of a little patience.
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This is essential for the application of this technology, i.e. its integration with batteries used in electric cars. It is said that it will take at least ten years to achieve this goal. There may be more complications, as the biggest concern is the possibility of using the described approach on a large scale. Its commercialization will be difficult, and what is worse is that engineers are aware of the potential technical challenges. However, the results from Denmark show that solid electrolytes based on lithium may be dominated by cheaper and more ecological alternatives based on silicate rocks. Will the electrical industry really experience a breakthrough?
