History of Battery science is filled with short circuits, fires — and sometimes stories of redemption. One of them is the story of the lithium-iron-phosphate battery.
LFP, as it was known, (“F” refers to the Latin name for iron) was discovered as a good battery material in John Goodenough’s University of Texas laboratory. He is (and is now 99) a legendary battery scientist, best known for designing the cathode — the crystalline structure that captures and releases lithium ions when the battery is charged and used — resulting in lithium-ion batteries. first commercially available in 1991 The LFP, launched a few years later, seems to have several advantages over its predecessor. The cathode is stable and long-lasting, potentially very suitable for powering electric cars. And unlike Goodenough’s previous cathode, it doesn’t depend on cobalt, a relatively expensive metal, but rather on an exhausted iron.
But when Venkat Srinivasan started working on LFP as a postdoc in the early 2000s, his advisors suggested he think about doing something else. “They said, ‘Why would you bother with this?'” He recalls. For all its promises, the LFP didn’t seem to have a bright future. The government went to great lengths to develop it. development of LFP battery industry next to a new market for electric cars, pouring money into this career But electric cars are not growing as fast as expected, so there is almost no market for batteries to provide power Meanwhile, LFP is being overtaken by newer battery formulations that combine cobalt with nickel to produce more power.
It’s strange that 20 years later LFP is everywhere. Thank you, Elon Musk. Over the past year, the Tesla CEO has announced a major shift to older battery chemistry — a necessity, largely due to the current very high demand for batteries the industry is aiming for. a cliff provides material composed mainly of nickel and cobalt. Tesla’s partner in this effort is CATL, a major battery manufacturer in China, where the technology has been in development for many years and has been quietly evolving to the point where LFP batteries can now power suitable for a family sedan. Like most of the major cathode chemists still in use today, the battery was developed in a US or European lab, but its future lies in China, where 90% of the world’s products are manufactured today. LFP battery cell, according to Minerals Benchmark. For the US, “LFP is a missed opportunity,” said Srinivasan.
Srinivasan, who currently heads the Argonne National Laboratory’s Center for Energy Storage Science Collaboration, leads a US government initiative to prevent similar omissions. Called Li-Bridge, the program was established this fall after the Biden Administration set goals generates 50% of new electric car sales. The administration says the US is placing too much of a stake in battery technology that can only come from abroad – especially China. Automakers also fear a similar situation microchip supply crisis, which is forcing them to recklessly race to the top of the line as new chips come out of line. “The last thing I want to do is negotiate with Asian countries to secure supply,” said Robert Schilp, Ford’s director of electric vehicle purchasing, warning at a conference last month. “We need to get it here.” If not, that means American automakers could end up selling fewer EVs than customers expect.
There are signs that the battery industry is heeding its own warning. Last month, GM and Posco Chemicals, a South Korean cathode materials company, announced the plan for a US factory to produce cathode materials. In Europe, where the battery industry hasn’t gone much further, Volkswagen cooperated with Belgian materials company Umicore. In September, Redwood Materials, a company perhaps best known for its battery material recycling. “For every announcement that’s been made, it’s been fantastic,” said Mr. Now we just need 20 more.”
