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हनीकॉम्ब बैटरी संभावित रूप से सॉलिड-स्टेट बैटरियों को पीछे छोड़ सकती है
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दुनिया को इलेक्ट्रिफाई करने वाली बैटरियां
Battery technology is changing the world in countless ways. The most obvious example of this is EVs, but advanced batteries are also the driving force behind the growing importance of drones and other futuristic innovations like maglev, Hyperloop trains, and even mass drivers to conquer space.
वे हमारे पावर ग्रिड को हरा बनाने में भी आवश्यक होंगी, क्योंकि वे शाम के समय सोलर पैनलों की ऊर्जा उत्पादन वक्र को और बिना हवा वाले दिनों में पवन टरबाइनों की ऊर्जा को स्मूद करेंगे।
स्रोत: Statista
अभी तक, बैटरी तकनीक लिथियम-आयन तकनीक द्वारा संचालित रही है, एक खोज इतनी आवश्यक थी कि इसे 2019 में रसायन विज्ञान में नॉबेल पुरस्कार मिला (आप हमारे समर्पित लेख में इसके इतिहास के बारे में अधिक पढ़ सकते हैं ).
फिर भी, लिथियम-आयन बैटरियों में एक गंभीर सीमा है। समय के साथ, धातु लिथियम के स्पाइक्स, जिन्हें डेंड्राइट कहा जाता है, प्रत्येक चार्ज/डिस्चार्ज साइकिल में थोड़ा बढ़ते हैं। यह डेंड्राइट बैटरी के घटकों को छेद सकते हैं, जिससे एक शॉर्टकट बनता है। ऐसे शॉर्टकट का खतरा इस तथ्य से और बढ़ जाता है कि लिथियम-आयन बैटरियों में ज्वलनशील इलेक्ट्रोलाइट्स होते हैं, जिससे बैटरी की आग बहुत गर्म और बुझाने में कठिन हो जाती है।
यह समस्या कुछ हद तक सभी लिथियम-आधारित बैटरियों में साझा है, जिसमें LFP (Lithium-Ferrum-Phosphate) रसायन भी शामिल है। कम से कम अभी तक।
स्रोत: Nobel Prize
काफी समय से, वैकल्पिक विकल्प को या तो पूरी तरह अलग रसायन जैसे सोडियम-आयन या एक अलग बैटरी अवधारणा, विशेष रूप से सॉलिड-स्टेट बैटरियों के रूप में माना गया था, जो इलेक्ट्रोलाइट्स का उपयोग नहीं करतीं।
यह अंततः सही नहीं हो सकता। प्रमुख बैटरी निर्माता CATL ने घोषणा की है कि एक नया “हनीकॉम्ब” डिजाइन 5 साल के तीव्र उपयोग के बाद शून्य क्षरण संकेतों वाली बैटरियां बना सकता है।
This design could be used to create batteries as energy-dense as solid-state batteries while still using mostly current technology.
हनीकॉम्ब अधिक शक्ति को समेटते हैं।
A key reason batteries degrade and grow dendrites is that the material contracts and expands during each charge/discharge cycle when the lithium ions enter the anode’s matrix.
संकोचन/विस्तार को प्रबंधित करना भी सॉलिड-स्टेट बैटरियों के विकास में बाधा डालने वाले प्रमुख मुद्दों में से एक है। CATL ने दावा किया है कि उसने अपने एनोड सामग्री के लिए एक जटिल हनीकॉम्ब-समरूप संरचना विकसित करके समाधान पाया है।
यह विचार पूरी तरह नया नहीं है, क्योंकि इसे पहले ही शोधकर्ताओं ने प्रस्तावित किया था, उदाहरण के लिए 2020 के एक वैज्ञानिक पेपर में जिसका शीर्षक है “Stretchable lithium-ion battery based on new micro-honeycomb structure”。
स्रोत: Phys.org
कंपनी ने एक नया LFP (लिथियम-आयरन-फॉस्फेट) बैटरी जो केवल 10 मिनट में 600km की रेंज जोड़ सकता है की घोषणा की। कुल मिलाकर ड्राइविंग रेंज 1,000 km (600 मील) से अधिक हो सकती है, जिससे भविष्य के EV मालिकों के लिए सभी “रेंज एंग्जायटी” समाप्त हो जाएगी।
Overall, this means 1 km worth of range can be charged every second and a full charge for 1,000km will take 16.6 minutes.
नई घनत्व रिकॉर्ड
This impressive range is possible because “the Shenxing battery system’s energy density surpasses the 200 Wh/kg threshold for the first time, reaching 205 Wh/kg”.
यह “हनीकॉम्ब” संरचना के कारण संभव हुआ, जो मूल रूप से सामग्री को सही जगह पर रखती है, चार्जिंग के दौरान दरारें और संकोचन से बचाती है।
The company is, of course, relatively secretive over the details of its manufacturing process, as battery tech is maybe one of the most competitive spaces in the world currently, notably with BYD’s next generation of blade batteries expected to come out at 190 Wh/kg.
निर्माण रहस्य
We do know that they used something called “granular gradation/nanometer encapsulation,” which can place every nanometer particle within the cell in the right spot. They also mentioned “fast lithium-ion conductive coating” to speed up the energy transmission between the 2 poles of the battery.
CATL कारखाने अत्यधिक स्वचालित हैं और अपने प्रमुख कारखाने में नई LFP बैटरियों में से एक को हर 1 सेकंड में बना सकते हैं।
From a 2021 scientific paper, we can learn some of the key advantages of honeycomb shapes, notably low density and high out-of-plane compression and shear properties (resistance of materials to forces acting in parallel but opposite directions).
The honeycomb graphene arrangement effectively prevents silicon nanoparticle agglomeration, improves electrical conductivity, and decreases Li+ transport resistance.
While it is not clear how CATL did it, some of these methods are known; for example, successive thermal and chemical treatments with carbon and acid can create a nano-honeycomb structure.
स्रोत: Chemistry Europe
स्रोत: Chemistry Europe
अन्य सुधार
In battery tech, every improvement counts as they can compound each other to make the battery denser. In turn, this reduces the volume of battery needed for a certain mileage. This then reduces the total weight, further increasing the range and/or the batteries needed.
हनीकॉम्ब संरचना के साथ-साथ, CATL ने कुछ अन्य सुधारों की भी घोषणा की। नयी बैटरी घनत्व को बढ़ाने वाले एक कारक में ऑप्टिमाइज़्ड सेल-टू-बॉडी तकनीक (CTB) शामिल है, जो बैटरी पैक में बैटरी द्वारा ली जाने वाली जगह को अनुकूलित करती है। इससे वॉल्यूम दक्षता में 7% सुधार हुआ।
Other features are ultra-high cooling efficiency high-voltage box, reducing power consumption by the cooling system. An AI intelligent battery management system algorithm also ensures the safety of the battery.
चार्जिंग इन्फ्रास्ट्रक्चर
The infrastructure to charge EVs has been a limiting factor for a long time, mostly because you need a network as dense as currently existing fuel stations to avoid long waiting times and gaps in the charging network in remote areas. However, another issue is creeping in, which is the capacity of these charging stations.
जैसे ही बैटरियां बड़े पावर लोड और तेज़ चार्जिंग को संभालने में सक्षम होती हैं, चार्जिंग स्टेशन खुद को अधिक क्षमता की आवश्यकता होती है। 1,000 km के लिए तेज़ 16-मिनट चार्ज को 4C चार्जिंग प्रक्रिया की आवश्यकता होती है, जिसके लिए 100 kWh बैटरी के लिए 400 kW चार्जिंग पावर चाहिए।
इसी कारण, CATL ने उस समय घोषणा की थी कि वह चार्जिंग इन्फ्रास्ट्रक्चर बाजार में प्रवेश कर रहा है। वह चीन में Shenxing Superfast Charging Network बनाना शुरू करेगा, और Star Charge, YKC, तथा Shudao New Energy जैसे उद्योग-प्रमुख भागीदारों के साथ सहयोग करेगा।
Overall, it is planning 600 service outlets covering 271 prefecture-level cities in 31 provincial-level regions. The provision of batteries, charging networks, and services like battery inspection and maintenance aims to create a closed-loop ecosystem.
LFP और EV से परे
यूटिलिटी स्केल
CATL is increasingly active in the utility-scale battery market, with seemingly a renewed interest in using lithium-based chemistry, after considering sodium-ion instead.
Most notably, it declared that a pilot project, using the TENER containerized battery system, has demonstrated zero degradation in capacity after a full 5 years of operation.
स्रोत: Sustainability Environment
The honeycomb structure is likely becoming a central part of CATL’s battery architecture. While not explicitly stated as such, this is probably what CATL referred to when talking about TENER:
To realize TENER, the company used an SEI with biomimetic ion channels and high stability, together with self-assembled electrolyte technologies creating what it calls an “ageless energy storage system.
Based on state-of-the-art technology and extreme manufacturing capabilities, we have solved the challenges of highly active lithium metals […], which effectively helps prevent the thermal instability caused by the oxidation reaction,”
This unprecedented performance of TENER could completely change the equation for fixed battery storage, as no degradation means a much-improved safety profile. It also changes the calculus of amortization by promising a much more lasting battery pack, a key point for utility companies.
So other chemistry could still win this market, as we discussed in “The Future Of Energy Storage – Utility-Scale Batteries Tech”. But it is also possible that lithium ends up winning the utility market, which is much larger than even the gigantic and growing EV market.
संघनित अवस्था
It is also possible that honeycomb structures are behind the “condensed state” battery revealed in 2023 and expected to be commercialized soon.
These lithium batteries (not LFP) are claimed to display a 500 Wh/kg energy density, or 2.5x larger than the recently announced LFP batteries.
No price tag has been announced for this project, so the upcoming line-up from CATL seems to be as such:
- Condensed state at 500 Wh/kg for high-end EVs and even maybe new markets like electricity-powered aircraft.
- Advanced LFP at 200 Wh/kg for medium-price EVs, with a 1,000 range chargeable in 16 minutes with the right charging infrastructure.
- Sodium-ion for low-cost EVs with a smaller range.
It is not clear where solid-state batteries would fit in that mix. Some investors might even be concerned that the 1st generation of solid-state design could be outcompeted by the scale of production of CATL’s advanced LFP and condensed-state batteries.
स्रोत: Nature
उन्नत बैटरी प्रौद्योगिकियों में निवेश
Batteries are at the center of the trend of electrification, itself a major multi-trillion-dollar endeavor looking to remove fossil fuels from our power sources.
You can invest in battery-related companies through many brokers, and you can find here, on securities.io, our recommendations for the best brokers in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, as well as many other countries.
If you are not interested in picking specific battery companies, you can also look into battery ETFs like Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF (BATT), Global X’s Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT), or the WisdomTree Battery Solutions UCITS ETF (WT ), which will provide a more diversified exposure to capitalize on the growing battery industry.
उन्नत बैटरी कंपनियां
1. CATL (300750.SZ)
We talked already of CATL technological lead. The company is the global leader in battery manufacturing, producing more than half of the global battery volume. It is present at every step of the battery manufacturing supply chain and is a leader in battery technology.
This is true for lithium-ion batteries, where the company has been a long-established leader for a long time. Now it looks small in comparison to the latest announcement.
CATL has also announced in the past impressive progress on multiple other battery types :
- A 12,000-cycle ultra-long-life battery for utility-scale energy storage, with 18,000 cycles as a long-term goal.
- A 700km LFP (Lithium Ferrum Phosphate) battery charging 400km of range in 10 minutes, now looking small in comparison to the latest announcement.
- A 500 Wh/kg, potentially enabling electrification of passenger aircraft.
- Mass production of 160Wh/kg sodium-ion batteries, with a target for 200 Wh/kg.
स्रोत: CATL
Source: CATL
CATL has also invested 3.25B in battery recycling capacities in China. CATL has notably achieved a remarkable recovery rate of 99.6% for nickel, cobalt, manganese, and 91% for lithium.
Thanks to its scale, focus, and R&D achievements, CATL is likely to be at the forefront of battery innovation, manufacturing, and recycling.
This makes it a key partner for EV manufacturers, including Tesla (TSLA ), NIO, Ford, Stellantis, etc, with Hyundai recently added to CATL growing rooster of strategic alliances.
In addition, the lessons learned in one chemistry can be applicable in another, so we might see soon honeycomb or condensed-state sodium-ion batteries for example. The economies of scale in producing half of the world’s batteries are also likely applicable to the whole company, regardless of the specific technology used in an individual product.
2. BYD (BYDDY)
A long-time challenger of Tesla in the EV market, BYD has become a serious competitor not only for Tesla but for virtually all automakers.
The company evolved from its origin as a supplier of lithium-ion phone batteries to selling almost as many EVs as Tesla in China (the world’s largest EV market) and being the best-selling EV in Thailand, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Israel, and Brazil.
BYD is a large part of why China suddenly became the world’s largest car exporter in 2023, surpassing Japan. The company’s aggressive overseas expansion is also carried by new factories, like in Hungary.
And with the release of $10,000-$12,000 cars like the Seagul, using sodium batteries, a whole new market might open for BYD EVs.
Still a battery manufacturer at its core, BYD is a serious challenger to CATL in the LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery market, with a 41.1% market share in China (compared to CATL’s 33.9%).
The “flood” of cheap EVs produced by BYD into the European and American markets is likely to be met with some level of protectionism (even above the recently imposed tariffs), which could hinder BYD’s growth.
But at the same time, cheap Chinese EVs are already a great success in the rest of the world, which does not have incumbents much in the way of domestic automakers to protect, including the entirety of South America, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
This represents several billion potential customers for BYD, living in countries eager to strike a geopolitical balance and stay on good terms with both the West and China, so it is unlikely to create too strong protectionist barriers.
And even in the EU or the USA, BYD might stay competitive, thanks to the much higher prices of local EV manufacturers compared to prices in China, as well as localization of the production out of China for these markets, like, for example, in Eastern Europe, Mexico, or Turkey.
