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Portable power has become very prevalent in daily life, with more devices housing their own power source than ever before. This morning while taking the bus to work, I counted at least 7 devices I used—or came in close contact—which contained batteries, and it wasn’t even 8:00 am yet! Interestingly, nearly all of these had lithium-ion batteries. These batteries have a few advantages over traditional cell batteries, the most notable being flexible manufacturing shape, allowing them to be molded and conform to almost any necessary space.
One thing I didn’t know before writing this article though: within every lithium-ion battery device lies the impact of at least 5 different spectroscopy techniques. One of our customers once told me “spectroscopy is everyday life” and they weren’t kidding! Let’s see how some of these techniques, specifically in molecular spectroscopy, are used in lithium-ion battery development.
That's a Salt and Battery! (and Solvent too!)
Identifying raw material salts and solvents remains a common yet critical component of lithium-ion battery development. Our Cary 630 FTIR is an excellent tool in the Swiss Army knife that is molecular spectroscopy, for quick identification of both salts and solvents used in lithium-ion batteries. These analyses are typically done inside a glove box to minimize risk of contamination. The Cary 630 FTIR’s small size, swiveling ATR press and general-ease of-use make this instrument very well suited to being used with thick wall-mounted gloves found in these boxes. The straight-forward, picture-guided Microlab software of the Cary 630 FTIR also easily lends itself to being used in these conditions.
High Quality Electrolytes for Safety and Performance
Further downstream in development, quality of electrolytes has a substantial impact of lithium-ion battery and performance, and thus a reliable, rapid and robust method of electrolyte quality control is the order of the day. Although there are several solutions in the market which can meet the minimum requirements here, the Cary 3500 UV-Vis with Flex module and sipper are as straight-forward and dependable as one can get among high performing UV-Vis spectrophotometers. This combination of instrument and accessories promotes safe handling of materials, very fast scans, and near unparalleled sensitivity for its class in quality control of lithium-ion battery electrolytes. Toss in a source lamp that lasts around 10 years, and we end up with a really dependable quality control system, fit for purpose.
This Sparks Another Idea!
It’s clear molecular spectroscopy products have crucial roles to play in the development of lithium-ion batteries, but the fun doesn’t stop there. Did you know Agilent’s atomic spectroscopy products, as well as our gas chromatography products, are also a staple in many lithium-ion battery manufacturers? Our ICP-OES and ICP-MS atomic spectrometers in particular offer spectacular detection limits for impurity detection in atomic spectroscopy lithium-ion applications, with significantly less argon required for routine use than competing atomic spectrometers. Agilent most definitely has something to contribute for all phases of lithium-ion battery development. Take a gander at a short eBook we recently published to see where our instruments can help solve problems in this ever-growing industry.
Further reading
- Product Guide: Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturing and Research Equipment
- Application Brief: Applications of FTIR Throughout the Lithium Ion Battery Life Cycle
- Technical Overview: Agilent Solutions for the Lithium-Ion Battery Industry
- Application Note: Quick and Easy Material Identification of Salts Used in Lithium-Ion Batteries by FTIR
- Application Note: Quick and Easy Material Identification of Solvents Used in Lithium-Ion Batteries by FTIR
- Application Note: Quality Control of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolytes and Solvents by UV-Vis Spectroscopy
- Application Note: Improving Battery Production Yield, Performance, and Stability Using FTIR
- Video: Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolyte Component Analysis
Molecular spectroscopy webinar series
Get the latest product information and lots of helpful tips and tricks from our frequent molecular spectroscopy webinars. These live and interactive sessions take place every week, with all previous sessions available to watch on-demand.
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