UChicago Scientists Make EV Batteries Cheaper and Better

Scientists at the University of Chicago have cracked a puzzle that's stumped the battery industry for years, and the solution is surprisingly simple: get rid of the toxic stuff.

For decades, battery makers have used hazardous solvents to build the electrodes inside lithium-ion batteries. It's expensive, bad for the environment, and gets worse as batteries get bigger. Everyone knew there had to be a better way.

Research Associate Professor Minghao Zhang and his team tried something different. They developed a dry manufacturing process that skips the toxic chemicals entirely. The scientific community expected this cleaner method to work okay at best.

Instead, the batteries got better. Much better.

The dry process creates an unexpected chemical bond between two components that normally just sit next to each other: the carbon that conducts electricity and the polymer that holds everything together. In traditional batteries, these materials do their jobs independently. In the new design, they team up.

This partnership creates a stronger network for electrons to flow through, making the batteries more powerful and longer lasting. The carbon particles get a protective coating that stops them from breaking down at high voltages, a common problem that kills battery performance over time.

The results, published in Nature Energy, show batteries that can be made thicker without losing efficiency. Thicker electrodes mean more energy storage in the same space, translating directly to electric vehicles that drive farther on a single charge.

Manufacturing benefits stack up too. No toxic solvents means no expensive safety equipment, no hazardous waste disposal, and simpler production lines. Factories can make batteries faster and cheaper while actually improving quality.

The Ripple Effect

This discovery reaches far beyond the lab. Electric vehicle adoption has been held back by three big concerns: driving range, charging speed, and cost. This single breakthrough addresses all three simultaneously.

The technology could help bridge the gap between plugging in an EV and filling up a gas tank. Faster charging and longer range make electric vehicles practical for more people, especially those who can't charge at home or take long road trips.

Major institutions are already collaborating to scale up production, including UC San Diego, French research universities, and industry partner Thermo Fisher Scientific. The University of Chicago Energy Transition Network is working to move the technology from research to real-world manufacturing.

Professor Shirley Meng, who leads the lab, points out that the components scientists thought were just structural supports turn out to be crucial to performance. Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from questioning what everyone assumes is settled science.

The clean manufacturing process also helps battery makers meet increasingly strict environmental regulations while reducing their carbon footprint. Making green technology with green methods creates a virtuous cycle toward sustainable transportation.

This discovery proves that solving environmental problems doesn't require sacrifice or compromise, and the best solutions can make everything better at once.