Innovative alternatives to cobalt in lithium-ion batteries

by Umesh Tiwari, Friday, 6th December 2024

Electricity is fast becoming the fuel of the future, providing a much-needed alternative to fossil fuels. However, while electric batteries offer important environmental benefits – in electric vehicles (EVs), for example – there are still concerns about the sustainable exploitation of materials that make up the batteries.

One of the most concerning components? Cobalt: a key material in lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, the most common type of electric battery. Given cobalt’s importance to this critical technology and some of the negative effects of mining this metal, researchers and manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce the amount of cobalt used in batteries – or even to replace it altogether.

Why is cobalt used in lithium-ion batteries?

Li-ion batteries consist of a cathode and anode (divided by a separator) and an electrolyte. Electricity is discharged by the flow of lithium ions from the cathode to the anode. When the battery is recharged, lithium ions flow in the opposite direction from the anode to the cathode.

This chemical reaction generates heat, which causes the battery to expand when in use and then contract when not. This shortens the life of the battery – and that’s where cobalt comes in.

Although efforts are underway to reduce the cobalt content of lithium-ion batteries, the most successful battery formulations to date, do contain cobalt.

Challenges of cobalt in lithium-ion batteries

In many ways, cobalt is a victim of its own success. Driven by the increasing use of Li-ion batteries in EVs and consumer electronics, cobalt demand and prices have risen sharply in recent years.

Cobalt is also considered the highest material supply chain risk in battery production, with factories located far from cobalt deposits. In 2019, for example, China produced less than one-twentieth of its cobalt consumption (2,500 Mt vs 70,000 Mt). As a result, the use of cobalt is highly dependent on global trade – and therefore highly vulnerable to geopolitical developments.

But even before it can be shipped to a battery production site, the cobalt must be mined, a process associated with environmentally damaging practices. Considering the global sustainability transition, how are industry players combating this challenge?

Making cobalt batteries more sustainable

One approach is to reduce the damage caused by cobalt extraction. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of samples from mineral deposits – using versatile, robust, reliable instruments like those in Malvern Panalytical’s Zetium range – helps to locate higher quality, more abundant deposits without extensive mining. Mining output can also be efficiently screened to ensure that only high-quality materials are used in battery production, optimizing the exploitation of natural mineral deposits.

Another avenue is to reduce or substitute cobalt with a different metal. Finding suitable, high-performing cobalt alternatives, is however easier said than done

Tried, tested, and trusted material analysis for the battery industry

Enter Malvern Panalytical. One inspiring innovation achieved in 2020 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory was the development of long-lasting, cobalt-free cathode materials made from nickel, iron, and aluminum, using Malvern Panalytical’s X’Pert diffractometer.

Thanks to efforts like these that are built on data from Malvern Panalytical-supplied equipment, cobalt-free batteries – including lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4), lithium-titanate (Li-Ti), and sodium-ion batteries – are finding their way into EVs and other applications. In this way our equipment helps to facilitate the global energy transition to a green future and a sustainable future for our planet!

Stay up to date with the most recent innovations in battery research by accessing our dedicated pages!

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