Issue 3
Week 24-30 December 2018
Welcome to the third edition of our Last Week In Batteries digest! This issue's theme seems to be the theoretical study of battery materials.
This weekly digest of developments in the battery space is intended as a demonstration of what one can do with Avogadro One. Avogadro One allows capturing relevant news easily and quickly, saving you valuable time. If you want to know when you can use Avogadro One for your own research, please sign up to our mailing list here. We would also be happy to hear any feedback.
This is a very basic review of last week's events relevant to the battery and fuel cell industries. We do not pretend to be experts in this space but as investors we find such an overview helpful. The digest is intentionally very brief and dry and is intended as a demonstration rather as an end product. We'd love to hear what tools/software/platforms you use to stay abreast of the events in your industries of interest. Please answer our anonymous questionnaire.
2D carbon-nitride nanosheets as electrodes for Li/Na batteries
University of Toronto researchers have looked at using 2D carbon-nitride nanosheets as anodes for Li/Na/Mg ion batteries. Magnesium proved to be a non-starter, but lithium and sodium showed "outstanding anodic characteristics." According to the researchers, nanosheets promise higher storage capacity than both the most recently discovered 2D materials (e.g. phosphorene, borophane, and germanene) and commercial anode materials.
Impact areas: Li-Ion and Na-Ion batteries
Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.09971
Understanding how platinum-nickel catalysts form
Scientists from Brookhaven Lab have studied how platinum-nickel catalyst nanoparticles get their octahedral shape. They are hoping that the new knowledge will allow them to calculate the minimum platinum content to maximize the cost-benefit ratio in catalysts. High cost of platinum catalysts has been a major impediment to hydrogen fuel cell adoption
Impact areas: Fuel cell costs
Source: https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=213214
Enhanced energy transfer in a Dicke quantum battery
Physicists from Delft University of Technology have theoretically investigated "the enhancement of the charging power in a Dicke quantum battery."
Impact areas: Quantum batteries
Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.10139
High-energy density antiferroelectric material for dielectric capacitors
A team of researchers has proposed a new design of a high-capacity antiferroelectric material for dielectric capacitors.
Impact areas: Dielectric capacitors
Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.09615
Study of oxygen redox reactions in batteries
A team of researchers from US and Chinese universities has performed a high-efficiency full-range mapping of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering in redox batteries to study critical oxygen chemistry. The results could help to better understand the redox chemistry and to design better redox batteries.
Impact areas: Redox batteries
Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.09591
Amionx is prepping to go commercial
IEEE Spectrum reports that Amionx is expecting to see its safety technology in commercial Li-Ion batteries by the end of 2019. The company has designed a safety "fuse" that shuts down Li-Ion batteries if temperature or voltage rise above safe limits. If this technology catches on, it will strengthen the position of Li-Ion batteries, making it harder for other technologies to establish themselves, as non-flammability has been one of the key arguments in favor of alternatives.
Impact areas: Li-Ion battery safety and competitiveness