Perfecting lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have propelled the revolution in portable electronics. In order to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable society, Professor Santato's research project, whose full title is "Enhancing lithium-ion batteries with in situ diagnostic tools", has the ultimate goal of increasing their overall performance, by improving their energy density, lifespan, reliability and safety.

To achieve this, the project focuses on the development of in situ diagnostic tools for monitoring the electronic behavior of electrodes, as a function of their state of charge. These tools promise to provide important information on the electronic conductivity of materials traditionally exploited for energy applications, and consequently on how to use them to their full potential. Based on these analyses, refined strategies can be developed to ensure longer battery life.

In the long term, the knowledge acquired should also encourage the reuse of materials. For, by developing a tool capable of extracting new data on the state of health of batteries, the working group hopes to be able to better plan a second use for the systems, with a view to the circular economy.