Battery Improvement Enhances Electric Flight and Long-Range Electric Cars

In the pursuit of a rechargeable battery that can power electric vehicles (EVs) for hundreds of miles on a single charge, scientists have endeavored to replace the graphite anodes currently used in EV batteries with lithium metal anodes. But while lithium metal extends an EV's driving range by 30 to 50%, it also shortens the battery's useful life due to lithium dendrites — tiny, treelike defects that form on the lithium anode over the course of many charge and discharge cycles. Dendrites also short-circuit the cells in the battery if they make contact with the cathode.