Whether it’s harnessing renewable energy or powering better EVs, battery technology will only become more essential in the coming years. So far, Lithium Ion Batteries have remained king of the mountain with their low costs and high energy densities.
But what if there was another material that could take battery technology to previously unimaginable heights?
For years, graphene has been sort of the Holy Grail of materials. It holds so much promise and potential, yet it’s always just out of reach.
But some recent breakthroughs may mean that graphene batteries aren’t just possible, but might even be commercially viable. How does this new technology stack up to today’s lithium-ion batteries? And will it be the game-changer so many have hoped for?
Let’s dive in!
We covered graphene before in our “Supercapacitor,” video. But here’s a quick refresher on what this material is and why it holds so much potential.
Graphene is variation of carbon — but more specifically, its a variation of graphite — that stuff inside your pencils. But unlike typical graphite, or other forms of carbon, graphene is only one atom thick — which basically means its a 2 dimensional material.
Why does this matter? Well, materials are electrically conductive because electrons can freely move across their surface. So the more surface area a material has, the more electrons it can hold.
If you folded up just one gram of graphene, it would have a surface area of nearly 2700 square meters — roughly the size of 10 tennis courts!
Graphene also has a tightly-bonded, hexagonal, honeycomb-like pattern. This shape gives it all sorts of unique properties because those electrons have so much space to move around. Not only is graphene insanely good and conducting both heat and electricity, it’s also insanely strong — with a tensile strength four times that of steel! Yet despite that strength, it still remains incredibly flexible. These properties have elevated graphene to one of the most coveted materials on the planet.
But its graphene’s unique conductive properties that make it so attractive for batteries.
Right now, in the world of electronics, lithium ion is king, and for great reason. It has high energy density, and its a relatively abundant material. However, as awesome as lithium ion batteries are, there are some specific ways that graphene could help take battery technology to the next level.
First, one pesky issue lithiuim ion batteries face is overheating. I’m sure we’ve all heard the horror stories of Chevy Bolts catching fire or cell phones spontaneously combusting in people’s pockets.
And while, yes, many of these cases get over hyped by the media, it is still something battery manufacturers have to consider. While lithium ion batteries have made great strides in terms of safety, to make those strides requires lots of extra steps and precautions which can hinder performance. For instance, many batteries now come with cooling systems — but these systems can complicate vehicle design and take up space that could be used for storing more energy. Also stabilizing elements are added to cathode chemistries not to increase energy storage, but to make batteries more stable.
As a phenomenal heat conductor, graphene could help avoid this issue entirely.
Then there’s energy density. Right now, lithium ion batteries can hold up to 180 Wh of energy per kilogram. How does graphene compare? Graphene can store up to 1,000 Wh per kilogram!
Lets say your phone battery weighs about 32 grams, and of that, it has about 3 grams of lithium. If you were to swap out those three grams of lithium with graphene, you’d get over 5x the power output!
Some estimates predict that moving to graphene could offer 60% or more capacity compared to a lithium ion battery of the same size!
So, as always, at this point we ask — if graphene is so great — why isn’t it in all our vehicles and phones and computers right now?
And, as usually, it comes down to cost. Right now, lithiuim sells for roughly $80 per kilogram. Graphene, it sits closer to $1000 per kg or more.
The reason is simple. See, unlike lithium, graphene has to be synthesized, meaning itcan’t just be mined out of theground. And the process can be incredibly complicated.
However, there are a handful of companies and research groups right now who are finding some clever ways around that cost barrier, which means graphene batteries may be here much sooner than you might think.
Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia have successfully developed a graphene-based supercapacitor/ battery hybrid. Remember, we talked all about supercapacitors in our previous video, which you should definitely check out.
This battery uses aluminum, so technically its a graphene aluminum battery.
Director Professor Alan Rowan and his team of researchers have been working on devising ways to make graphene into a more efficient electrode for powering batteries. This hybrid battery ivolves embedding aluminum ions into a perforated graphene mesh. This graphene-aluminum latter acts as the cathode while the anode is made of pure aluminium foil.
The research caught the attention of the Australia-based Graphene Manufacturing Group or GMG, who are in the process of applying this breakhtorugh research to battery cells which they plan to introduce to the market within the next year or two.
Prototyp batteries can reportedly charge between 60 and 70 times faster than lithium ion batteries.
Right now, the fastest method of charging a Tesla battery is with a Supercharger, which takes about 30 minutes. It also requires loads of grid energy and can put more wear on the battery. Imagine, though, being able to charge your entire EV in less than a a minute?
That’s the kind of charge speeds we’re talking about!
And, because graphene conuscts heat far better than lithium, researchers suggest their batteries could last 3x as long as standard lithium ion batteries!
According to Elon Musk on Twitter, Tesla car batteries are supposed to technically last for 300,000 to 500,000 miles, which is 1,500 battery cycles. That’s between 22 and 37 years for the average driver.
Imagine a battery that could last three times as long? We’re talking between 900,000 and 1.5 million miles and over 100 years!
Now, there is a catch with this technology. Right now, these graphene-aluminum hybrid batteries have energy-densities between 150 and 160 watt hours/ kg.
Tesla’s 4680-type battery cell has a density ranging between 272-296 Wh/kg —almost double the amount of energy! Even Tesla’s current Model 3 cells have about 260 wH/kg, with an average range of about 330 miles. Assuming these graphene aluminum batteries would have a similar range, that means they’d max out around 115 miles on a single charge.
So in that sense these batteries don’t quite stack up yet. But, remember they can charge up to 70 ties faster than lithium-ion batteries. Which means in the real world, the experience may be closer to pulling in to a station for a quick recharge before heading back on the road. In fact, in may even be faster than filling up a car with gas. This could make plug-in EVs more accessible, especially for people who don’t have access to home chargers.
But, this technology wouldn’t just apply to EVs. Imaging fully charging your phone or computer in the time it takes you to grab a glass of water.
As of June 2022, the company has commissioned its graphene aluminium-ion batteries (“G+AI Batteries”) in pouch cell format and that the first G+Al battery pouch cells have been manufactured. Currently, their tech is being utilized at a pilot plant. While the batteries aren’t going to hit the market just yet, these are major steps, meaning the technology is closer than ever!
The hope is that once the initial models hit the market, the company can keep improving the technology. Back in March of 2022, the company’s CEO Craig Nichols said that the energy density of this battery has a theoretical limit of 1050 watt hours per kilogram, nearly four times that of Tesla’s new battery. The company’s teams are currently testing over 300,000 variations on the design. Even if they can’t reach the highest limit, there certainly seems to be room to improve.
But its not just the batteries themselves that are a big deal. As I said before, one of the biggest things keeping graphene from hitting the market is cost. Ine way GMG has worked around that is by developing methods for mass producing their own graphene!
While the method is propriety, and therefore kept pretty tightly underwraps, their means of developing graphene brings the cost down significantly. Not only that, but the process could potentially be a win for the environment. Again, the exact process is abit of a mystery, but according to the company it involves a process that converts methane into hydrogen and graphene, essentially a form of carbon capture.
So, yes, there’s still room for this technology to grow. But with so much potential its hard not to get excited about these developments. We’ve finally found the Holy Grail, so to speak. And while in its current form, it may not quite live up to all the hype its generted over the years, GMG has ticked off a few major boxes. They’ve found a way to mass produce graphene n a way that is not only more cost effective, but potentially better for the environment.
Its also worth considering that the price of lithium has dropped dramatically over the years as well. The more infrastructure there is for synthesizing and refining the raw materials, the cheaper it becomes over time. We could see that sae thing begin to happen here with graphene.
But the most exciting aspect is that the graphene battery is essentially here! No, you can’t quite purchase it and throw it in your phone, laptop, or EV just yet, but the products exist and are going through trials in pilot facilities as we speak! That’s a major win.
And even though their current energy density is less than current lithium ion batteries, their rapid charging rates could still make them competitive, even in their primitive form.
And of course, there’s room for the technology to get even better. So, over all, this breakthrough is a win-win!
But what do you think — do these graphene batteries live up to the hype? Is lower energy density a deal breaker even with rapid charging and longer lifespan? Sound of int he comments below!