Battery performance: on the cusp of revolutionary progress

The Japanese company TDK announces a major advance in the development of materials used in small solid-state batteries. Apple's largest battery supplier is promising major improvements to the battery performance of smart watches, wireless headphones and other devices.

Nov material zagotavlja energijsko gostoto – količino, ki jo je mogoče stisniti v določen prostor – 1000 vatnih ur na liter, kar je približno 100-krat več od trenutne TDK baterije. Odkar je TDK leta 2020 prvič predstavil dotične baterije, so konkurenti napredovali in razvili majhne polprevodniške baterije, ki ponujajo 50 Wh/l, medtem ko majhne gumbne baterije za ponovno polnjenje, ki uporabljajo tradicionalne tekoče elektrolite, glede na podatke TDK-ja ponujajo približno 400 Wh/l.

“We believe that our new material for semiconductor batteries can significantly contribute to the energy transformation of society. We will continue development towards early commercialization,” je povedal izvršni direktor TDK Noboru Saito.

The batteries will be made entirely of ceramic material, with a solid oxide-based electrolyte and lithium alloy anodes. The battery's high capacity to store electric charge, TDK said, would enable the development of smaller devices and longer operating times, while the oxide offers a high degree of stability and thus safety. The new battery manufacturing technology is designed to be used in smaller battery sizes, replacing existing coin-cell batteries found in watches and other small electronics.

TDK's breakthrough is the latest step for an entire industry that experts believe could revolutionize energy storage. However, it will not be without challenges, as manufacturers will face many obstacles on the way to mass production, especially if they want to produce batteries of larger sizes. Solid-state batteries are safer, lighter and potentially cheaper, offering longer performance and faster charging than current batteries that use liquid electrolytes.

The ceramic material used by TDK means that batteries of larger dimensions would be more fragile. TDK says this challenge would make it virtually impossible to make batteries for cars or smartphones in the near future.

Kevin Shang, višji raziskovalni analitik pri podjetju Wood Mackenzie, ki se ukvarja s podatki in analitiko, je dejal, da so “neugodne mehanske lastnosti”, pa tudi težave in stroški množične proizvodnje največji izzivi za prehod na uporabo polprevodniških baterij na osnovi oksida v pametnih telefonih.

Industry experts believe that the most important use case for solid-state batteries could be in electric cars, as this would enable a much greater range. Japanese companies are already working to commercialize the technology: Toyota aims for 2027, Nissan a year later, Honda by the end of the decade.

Founded in 1935 and becoming a well-known cassette tape brand in the 1960s and 1970s, TDK has many years of experience in battery materials and technology.

It has a 50 to 60 percent global market share in the small-capacity batteries that power smartphones and aims to lead the mid-capacity market, which includes energy storage devices and larger electronics such as drones.

The group plans to test samples of the new prototype batteries with customers next year and hopes to move into the mass production phase after that.