Tug-of-War in the Selection of Materials for Battery Technologies

Abstract

Batteries are the heart and the bottleneck of portable electronic systems. They power electronics and determine the system run time, with the size and volume determining factors in their design and implementation. Understanding the material properties of the battery components—anode, cathode, electrolyte, and separator—and their interaction is necessary to establish selection criteria based on their correlations with the battery metrics: capacity, current density, and cycle life. This review studies material used in the four battery components from the perspective and the impact of seven ions (Li+, Na+, K+, Zn2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Al3+), employed in commercial and research batteries. In addition, critical factors of sustainability of the supply chains—geographical raw materials origins vs. battery manufacturing companies and material properties (Young’s modulus vs. electric conductivity)—are mapped. These are key aspects toward identifying the supply chain vulnerabilities and gaps for batteries. In addition, two battery applications, smartphones and electric vehicles, in light of challenges in the current research, commercial fronts, and technical prospects, are discussed. Bringing the next generation of batteries necessitates a transition from advances in material to addressing the technical challenges, which the review has powered.