Charging ahead: graphene in batteries and electric vehicles

Electric vehicles have made batteries one of the most closely watched technologies in the world. Drivers want faster charging and longer range, manufacturers want safer and longer lasting packs, and grid operators need storage that can cycle day after day. Graphene is one of several materials being used to push battery performance forward.

Better conductive networks

Inside a lithium ion battery, electrons must move quickly between the active materials and the current collectors. Conductive additives make that possible. Graphene's high conductivity and thin, flat shape let it form an effective network at low additions, which can support faster charging and discharging.

Running cooler

Heat is one of the biggest enemies of battery life and safety. Graphene conducts heat very well, so it can help spread heat within cells and across packs, reducing hot spots. It is also used in heat spreaders and thermal interface materials around battery modules.

Longer cycle life

Electrodes swell and shrink as a battery charges and discharges, and over time this can cause cracking and loss of capacity. A flexible graphene network can help hold electrode materials together, which may help batteries keep more of their capacity over many cycles.

Supercapacitors

Graphene's very large surface area also makes it a candidate for supercapacitors, which store energy at the surface of their electrodes. They can charge and release power very quickly, complementing batteries in vehicles, buses and grid systems.

From cell to production line

Battery makers work to very tight specifications, so any new material has to be consistent and proven in real cells. Quantanext works with battery and component manufacturers to identify where graphene can help, test it in their chemistry and scale it into production.