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Japanese company TDK claims a breakthrough in materials for small solid-state batteries. The Apple supplier predicts significant performance improvements for devices ranging from wireless headphones to smartwatches.
The new material provides an energy density of 1000 Wh per liter, which is approximately 100 times greater than existing mass-produced TDK batteries. Since TDK introduced its batteries in 2020, competitors have moved forward with developing batteries that offer 50 Wh/L, while rechargeable small batteries using traditional liquid electrolytes offer around 400 Wh/L.
“We believe that our newly developed solid-state battery material can make a significant contribution to the energy transformation of society. We will continue development towards early commercialization,” says TDK CEO Noboru Saito.
The batteries will be made of all-ceramic material with solid electrolyte and lithium alloy anodes. The battery's high ability to store electrical charge, according to TDK, would allow devices to be smaller and run longer, while offering a high degree of stability and safety. The technology aims to replace existing coin cell batteries found in watches and other small electronics. Solid-state batteries are safer, lighter and potentially cheaper, and provide greater performance and faster charging than wet batteries.
Mechanical properties, as well as the difficulty and cost of mass production, pose challenges to the application of solid-state oxide batteries in smartphones and other devices. The most significant use case may be electric vehicles, which will increase range. Japanese companies are at the forefront of the push to commercialize the technology, with Toyota aiming to do so by 2027, Nissan a year from now, and Honda by the end of the decade.
Automotive manufacturers are focusing on developing sulfide-based electrolytes for electric vehicles, an alternative to the oxide-based materials developed by TDK. However, there is still skepticism about how quickly such technology can be implemented in electric vehicles.
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Robin Zeng, founder and chief executive of CATL, the world's largest maker of electric vehicle batteries, says solid-state batteries don't work well enough, don't last long and still have safety problems. TDK, which was founded in 1935 and has become universally known as a leading cassette brand, has a long history of experience in battery materials and technology. It has between 50% and 60% percent of the global market for small-capacity batteries that power smartphones and is targeting leadership in the mid-capacity market, which includes energy storage and larger electronics such as drones. The company plans to begin shipping prototype samples of the new batteries to customers starting next year.
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