Promises and Challenges of Next-Generation “Beyond Li-ion” Batteries for Electric Vehicles and Grid Decarbonization

• Published in: Chemical reviews Vol. 121; no. 3; pp. 1623 - 1669
• Main Authors: Tian, Yaosen, Zeng, Guobo, Rutt, Ann, Shi, Tan, Kim, Haegyeom, Wang, Jingyang, Koettgen, Julius, Sun, Yingzhi, Ouyang, Bin, Chen, Tina, Lun, Zhengyan, Rong, Ziqin, Persson, Kristin, Ceder, Gerbrand
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 10-02-2021
• Subjects: Electric vehicles; Energy; Energy storage; Flux density; Lithium; Lithium-ion batteries; Natural resources; New technology; Rechargeable batteries; Storage batteries
• ISSN: 0009-2665; 1520-6890
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00767

The tremendous improvement in performance and cost of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have made them the technology of choice for electrical energy storage. While established battery chemistries and cell architectures for Li-ion batteries achieve good power and energy density, LIBs are unlikely to meet all the performance, cost, and scaling targets required for energy storage, in particular, in large-scale applications such as electrified transportation and grids. The demand to further reduce cost and/or increase energy density, as well as the growing concern related to natural resource needs for Li-ion have accelerated the investigation of so-called “beyond Li-ion” technologies. In this review, we will discuss the recent achievements, challenges, and opportunities of four important “beyond Li-ion” technologies: Na-ion batteries, K-ion batteries, all-solid-state batteries, and multivalent batteries. The fundamental science behind the challenges, and potential solutions toward the goals of a low-cost and/or high-energy-density future, are discussed in detail for each technology. While it is unlikely that any given new technology will fully replace Li-ion in the near future, “beyond Li-ion” technologies should be thought of as opportunities for energy storage to grow into mid/large-scale applications.