Cobalt in Batteries-Alternative and Replacement

Lithium-ion batteries have grown in popularity over the last decade due to their high power and small size. Nonetheless, their popularity is putting pressure on the supply of nickel and cobalt. These are the two metals needed in lithium batteries. As a result, the prices of certain metals have quadrupled. Because cobalt is the most costly material used in batteries, removing it from the mix was supposed to enable electric vehicles to become as inexpensive as gas-powered automobiles. The material is used in lithium-ion batteries, which power electric vehicles, and demand is increasing.

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Sourcing constraints with cobalt, which is mostly sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, necessitate the search for less expensive and more abundant alternatives with equivalent performance, which is an increasing emphasis. The uncertain political situation in the Congo and adjacent countries has also resulted in pricing fluctuations that are causing worry among manufacturers.

Aside from the monetary cost, mining the metal has a human cost as well. The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces 60% of the world's supply, which has been connected to child labor and fatalities.

Alternatives to Cobalt in Batteries

Working with a different battery will provide new challenges. The attempt to use less cobalt in batteries has increased demand for another metal that can replace it: 

1.Nickel

Manufacturers have been attempting to increase the amount of nickel used in electric car batteries to enhance energy density while decreasing cobalt use to reduce prices. The presence of more nickel in a battery indicates that it can store more energy. With each charge, the improved energy density might result in longer battery life for a phone or a better range for an electric car.

However, increasing the nickel percentage reduces the stability of the battery, which affects cycle life and the ability to charge it quickly. There is no better element to enhance energy density than nickel, and no better element to keep the material stable than cobalt,” Says Umicore Chief Executive Marc Grynberg.

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2.Lithium-iron-phosphate

Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries are significantly less expensive and do not have the same environmental issues as cobalt-required batteries. For short-range cars made in China, Tesla has decided to use Lithium-iron-phosphate instead of cobalt. These batteries have a lower energy density and this is drawback, limiting how far a car can travel before needing to be recharged. Other Chinese companies, notably BYD, the world's largest electric car maker, already utilize lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. If more electric car manufacturers follow suit on a global scale, we may be able to lessen our reliance on a finite mineral supply.

3.Iron Flouride

A novel cathode out of iron fluoride and a solid polymer electrolyte Nanocomposite was created by Georgia Tech researchers. The capacity of iron fluorides is more than double that of typical cobalt or nickel-based cathodes. Furthermore, the cost of iron is one-third that of cobalt and one-fifth that of nickel. The researchers created such a cathode by inserting a solid polymer electrolyte into a prefabricated iron fluoride electrode. The entire construction was then heat-pressed to enhance the density and remove voids.

Since this polymer-based electrolyte is flexible, it can tolerate iron fluoride swelling while cycling and creates stable and flexible interphase with iron fluoride. Swelling and adverse effects have always been major issues when utilizing iron fluoride in batteries.

Cathodes constructed of iron fluoride have great potential, however, volume fluctuations during cycling, as well as parasitic side reactions with liquid electrolytes and other degrading problems, have historically limited their usage. 

Reducing Cobalt in Batteries

The industry has acknowledged the dangers of Cobalt dependence, and many battery producers and end-users have set lofty objectives to transition to low- or no-Cobalt cathodes. There are economic, security, and social reasons to minimize Cobalt content. Cobalt is extracted as a byproduct of nickel (Ni) and copper ores. This implies that the supply is not independent of other commodities firms, and implementing new recovery initiatives is costly. Furthermore, extraction and early-stage processing are concentrated in a few nations. As a result, it is prudent to substantially lower the Cobalt concentration in Lithium-ion batteries.

Many of the research initiatives are centered on high Ni materials with high energy density. The problem with utilizing high Ni cathode materials is that they suffer from quick capacity fading and impedance rise owing to harmful interactions between the Ni atoms on the cathode's surface and the cell's electrolyte. Many initiatives are underway to stabilize or protect that surface to reduce such responses.

Replacement for Cobalt in Batteries

A lot of research is underway to find the perfect replacement for Cobalt and among this is the use of Vanadate Glass and Glass-Ceramic Structures as Cathode Materials for Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. In research conducted by ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering?2021, the initial capacity of glass and glass-ceramic vanadate materials was greater than 300 mA h/g, and cycle stability was promising. When compared to crystalline equivalents reported in the literature, vanadate glass and glass-ceramics demonstrated good rate performance and deeper discharge capacity (down to 1.5 V). The processing-structure–property connection of vanadate glass and glass-ceramics as new electrodes was investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Raman spectroscopy. 

Although the glass-ceramic-containing -Li0.33V2O5 crystal has a greater starting capacity, the amorphous glass vanadate exhibits the best stable cycling performance. Despite the encouraging performance of glass-based electrodes with minimal structural stability, persistent deterioration was found. According to Raman and EDS studies, vanadate-based cells exhibit vanadium dissolution in the electrolyte that travels to the lithium metal anode, which is a critical issue that must be resolved for these materials to be more stable and commercially viable.

Conclusion

In recent years, there has been an increase in research towards reducing the quantity of cobalt in lithium-ion batteries or substituting cobalt with alternative metals or compounds in batteries. As an example, some battery manufacturers have looked into increasing the quantity of nickel in electric car batteries to replace part of the cobalt.

However, experts caution that they may not be as cost-effective, and that, without the same properties that make cobalt such an appealing component, substituting the high-demand metal with anything else may compromise product performance. Alternatives that use less cobalt may take more years than expected, and completely new battery technologies may not be ready for commercial testing for decades.