The US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory wins the Excellence Award for Innovation this year as it developed a new long-range EV battery.

The lithium-air battery uses a solid electrolyte instead of the typical liquid variety, potentially boosting the battery’s energy density by as much as four times above Li-ion batteries, which translates into a longer driving range. The new design is also not subject to the usual safety issues with the liquid electrolytes used in Li-ion and other batteries, which can overheat and catch fire.

The new design is the first lithium-air battery to achieve a four-electron reaction at room temperature. It also operates with oxygen supplied by air from the surrounding environment, negating earlier designs’ need for oxygen tanks to operate.

Company Profile

For over 75 years, Argonne National Laboratory has transitioned from nuclear power innovation to a wide spectrum of scientific research that benefits humanity. Originally part of the Manhattan Project, Argonne’s mission has expanded to include advancements in energy, environmental science, and healthcare, enhancing American prosperity and security.

Argonne’s early work led to the construction of the world’s first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction in 1942, and the laboratory was formally established in 1946 to pursue nuclear research. Its pioneering work in reactor design influenced the commercial reactors used in today’s power generation and continues to inform future reactor technologies. Despite its secretive beginnings, with stringent security measures, Argonne’s research extended beyond nuclear technology, contributing to medical imaging with the development of one of the first ultrasound images and advancing safety standards for radiation exposure through the Janus reactor.

The laboratory’s contributions to fundamental science include the co-discovery of elements einsteinium and fermium, and the synthesis of compounds involving inert noble gases, which opened new avenues in chemical bonding research. Argonne’s high-energy physics research was marked by the establishment of the Zero Gradient Synchrotron and significant observations of subatomic particles.

In recent decades, Argonne has focused on advancing plasma wakefield acceleration, battery technology, and photon science. The Advanced Photon Source, a major X-ray facility, and the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, with its powerful supercomputers, have enabled groundbreaking research. Argonne also leads the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, aiming to revolutionise battery technology, and Q-NEXT, a quantum information science research centre, focusing on quantum communication and material development.

Argonne’s rich history of discovery and innovation has established it as a leader in scientific research, with ongoing contributions that promise to shape the future of technology and energy.

Contact Details

Argonne National Laboratory

9700 S. Cass Avenue

Lemont, IL 60439

+1-630-252-2000

Links

Website: https://www.anl.gov/