Scientists have uncovered a root cause of the growth of needle-like structures—known as dendrites and whiskers—that plague lithium batteries, sometimes causing a short circuit, failure, or even a fire.
PNNL researchers have created a chemical cocktail that could help electric cars power their way through extreme temperatures where current lithium-ion batteries don’t operate as efficiently as needed.
PNNL researchers demonstrate how the excitation of oxygen atoms that contributes to better performance of a lithium-ion battery also triggers a process that leads to damage, explaining a phenomenon that has been a mystery to scientists.
A PNNL study that evaluated the use of friction stir technology on stainless steel has shown that the steel resists erosion more than three times that of its unprocessed counterpart.
A new paper found that hydropower turbines with composite blades generate about 20 percent more power than turbines with traditional stainless steel blades at the same flow rate.