SLAC topics

Batteries RSS feed

Batteries and similar devices accept, store, and release electricity on demand. Scientists are using new tools to better understand the electrical and chemical processes in batteries to produce a new generation of highly efficient, electrical energy storage. 

Related links:   
Energy & sustainability news collection 
Energy sciences 
DOE explains...batteries

Illustration from SLAC Public Lecture series titled Improving batteries from the atoms up.

News Feature

How quickly a battery electrode decays depends on properties of individual particles in the battery – at first. Later on, the network of particles...

A group of particles, some highlighted in reds and oranges to show which have begun to break apart.
News Feature

SLAC’s Matt Garrett and Susan Simpkins talk about tech transfer that brings innovations from the national lab to the people, including advances for medical...

Tech Transfer
News Feature

Cryo-EM snapshots of the solid-electrolyte interphase, or SEI, reveal its natural swollen state and offer a new approach to lithium-metal battery design.

A battery's liquid electrolyte clings to small holes in a cryo-EM sample holder.
News Feature

Islands of inactive lithium creep like worms to reconnect with their electrodes, restoring a battery’s capacity and lifespan.

Conceptual illustration shows an EKG-like pulse of energy flatlining as it enters a battery, then coming back to life as it exits
News Brief

Scientists who perform experiments at SLAC’s lightsources gathered online for research talks, workshops and discussions.

Aerial view of industrial-looking research buildings
News Brief

Storing the rechargeable batteries at sub-freezing temperatures can crack the battery cathode and separate it from other parts of the battery, a new study...

A drone flying on Mars
News Feature

She toured the lab’s powerful X-ray laser, looked at the construction of the world’s largest digital camera, and discussed climate research, industries of the...

Secretary Granholm virtual visit
News Feature

Measuring the process in unprecedented detail gives them clues to how to minimize the problem and protect battery performance.

Illustration of oxygen atoms leaving a lithium-ion battery as lithium flows in alongside a battery whose energy is being sapped by this process
News Feature

Scientists have documented a process that makes these next-gen batteries lose charge – and eventually some of their capacity for storing energy – even...

News Feature

A pioneer in clean energy technology at Stanford and SLAC, he is one of eight scientists and engineers honored by the U.S. Department of...

Photo of Stanford and SLAC Professor Yi Cui
Press Release

Adding polymers and fireproofing to a battery’s current collectors makes it lighter, safer and about 20% more efficient.

Conceptual illustration of advantages of redesigned current collector.
News Feature

The results show how a particle’s surface and interior influence each other, an important thing to know when developing more robust batteries.

Closeup of an illustration showing how battery cathode material degrades