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Japanese scientists have found a way to breathe new life into aging batteries. By injecting a battery's cells with a chemical substance, up to 80 percent of its original capacity could be restored. Good news, it seems, for the popular lithium-ion battery.

"Anything that gets us closer to circularity in battery technology, particularly something that can avoid disassembly, is very interesting."| Credit: Getty Images

It is impossible to imagine our society without the lithium-ion battery. It is used in smartphones, laptops, electric bikes and cars, as well as gigantic applications such as energy storage projects. And as the world needs to become increasingly sustainable, the number of lithium-ion batteries will only increase. Resulting in a growing mountain of waste.

Recycling

Recycling companies are therefore bracing themselves for the approaching flood of discarded batteries that will be coming their way. In particular, the flow of automotive batteries is being watched closely. "In three to five years we expect the influx of discarded EVs to really take off," Martijn Boelhouwer of Auto Recycling Netherlands previously told Change Inc.

However, some batteries are at a stage somewhere between new and discarded, where they are still working but far from performing as they once did. Consumers are no longer happy with them, but it is too early for recycling.

Chemical liquid

Japanese scientists (commissioned by the automaker Toyota) have succeed ed in extending the life of such batteries. The reason lithium-ion batteries lose their power is that they lose charged ions and electrons as the batteries go through several charge cycles. By injecting the battery cells with a special liquid - one that creates ions and electrons through a chemical reaction - the battery can last longer again. In effect, the aging process is reversed for a while. According to the researchers, injecting the liquid can restore 80 percent of the original battery capacity. That capacity can be held for about a hundred charge cycles, after which the aging process resumes.

"Anything that gets us closer to circularity in battery technology, particularly something that can avoid disassembly, is very interesting," Professor of Materials Science Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told New Scientist. "It is likely that the technology will not work for an unlimited number of cycles, so other technologies that require disassembly will still be needed. But it seems technologically promising to me."

More time needed

The researchers reveal that the technology is usable with different battery sizes. So it would be possible to inject both smartphone batteries and those in electric cars with the chemical substance. However, they do stress that more time is needed to study how battery life develops over longer periods of time. Also, the technique is not suitable for boosting damaged batteries.

Not much is currently known about follow-up steps. The cost of the chemical liquid is also not yet understood.

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