A New, Cheaper Way to Make Li-ion Batteries

An MIT team has designed a system that uses flames to produce costly materials for cathodes of Li-ion batteries. The system promises to be simpler, much quicker, and far less energy-intensive than the conventional method now used to manufacture cathode materials. Watch this video to see what the electrochemical tests showed about how their materials performed compared to those currently used in electric vehicles.

“Our first thought was, what if we can mix together all of the substances — including the lithium — at the beginning?” says Assistant Professor, Sili Deng . “Then we would not need to have the two stages” — a clear simplification over coprecipitation.