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MATERIALS


COBALT-FREE CARS


Could cobalt-free batteries power cars of the future? A newly-developed battery cathode based on organic materials may hold the answer


T


he majority of electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by lithium-ion batteries often comprised of a cobalt-


containing cathode. While cobalt offers high stability and energy density, it is a metal that also carries high financial, environmental and social costs. The material’s scarcity means its


price can fluctuate dramatically, and much of the world’s cobalt deposits are located in politically unstable countries. Furthermore, cobalt


extraction is fraught with hazardous working conditions, while the mining process itself generates toxic waste that contaminates the surrounding land, air and water. “Cobalt batteries can store a lot


of energy, and they have all of the features that people care about in terms of performance, but they have the issue of not being widely available, and the cost fluctuates broadly with commodity prices,” explains Mircea Dincă, W.M. Keck Professor of Energy at the Massachusetts Institute of


Technology (MIT). “And as you transition to a much high proportion of electrified vehicles in the consumer market, it is certainly going to get more expensive.”


ORGANIC OPTIONS Due to cobalt’s many drawbacks, extensive research into developing alternative battery materials has commenced, such as lithium-iron- phosphate (LFP). While some car manufacturers are beginning to use LFP in EVs, the material only has about half the energy density of cobalt and nickel batteries. Another potential option is organic materials, however so far many of these materials have not been able to match the conductivity, storage capacity and lifetime of their cobalt counterparts. That is, until now. In a new


study from MIT, researchers have successfully designed a new lithium- ion battery made up of a cathode based on organic materials which is capable of conducting electricity at similar rates as cobalt batteries. The new battery also has comparable storage capacity and can be charged up faster than cobalt batteries, the researchers claim. “I think this material could have


a big impact because it works really well,” Dincă explains. “It is already competitive with incumbent technologies, and it can save a lot of the cost and pain and environmental issues related to mining the metals that currently go into batteries.” Six years in the making, the


Characterisation of TAQ 18 www.engineerlive.com


material consists of many layers of bis-tetraaminobenzoquinone (TAQ), an organic small module that contains three fused hexagonal rings. These


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