Energy Storage, 2nd Edition

Chapter 5Competing Storage Methods

Electrochemical secondary batteries are still the predominant means of energy storage in everyday situations. They take the form of either the ubiquitous dry cells (button cells included) or the familiar lead storage battery. Uses have a very wide range, from small electronic devices to power systems for diesel railway locomotives and emergency standby power sources. Despite their undeniable utility and the fact that they have made possible a vast variety of consumer and industrial products, they each suffer from some debilitating problems.

Unfortunately, the life of most batteries is very limited either in terms of the number of charge/discharge cycles or simply their age. The aging and deterioration of batteries, as compared to mechanical or electronic devices, are caused by many inherent factors over which we have little control. These inherent factors have mostly to do with the very nature of chemical changes and their limited reversibility. Frequently, this irreversibility and cumulative deterioration are not only due to chemical changes but also the physical changes brought about by the chemical processes, such as lowering the mechanical strength of materials resulting from chemical changes.

Why and how do batteries fail? What have we done to circumvent or improve upon the limitations? It is not our intention here to analyze in any detail the many mechanisms that contribute to battery failure. However, a brief review of some of the more ...