New research from University College London and the University of Oxford shows that although the lithium-ion batteries in disposable e-cigarettes are discarded after a single use, they can actually maintain high capacity after hundreds of cycles. The research was supported by the Faraday Institute and published in the journal Joule.
The popularity of disposable e-cigarettes has soared in the UK since 2021, with a survey finding that the popularity of disposable e-cigarettes increased 18-fold between January 2021 and April 2022, leading to every Millions of vaping devices are thrown away every week.
The research team had a hunch that the batteries used in disposable e-cigarettes were rechargeable, but no previous studies had evaluated the battery life of the lithium-ion batteries in these products.
“Disposable e-cigarettes have exploded in popularity in recent years. Despite being sold as disposable products, our research shows that the lithium-ion batteries stored within them are capable of being charged and discharged more than 450 times. This study highlights how one Sex vaping is a huge waste of limited resources,” said Hamish Reid, lead author of the study from the School of Chemical Engineering, University College London.
To test their hunch, researchers from University College London and the University of Oxford collected batteries from disposable e-cigarettes under controlled conditions and then evaluated them using the same tools and techniques used to study batteries in electric cars and other devices. .
They examined the battery under a microscope and used X-ray tomography to map its internal structure and understand its constituent materials. By repeatedly charging and discharging the cells, they determined how well the cells maintained their electrochemical properties over time, finding that in some cases they could be recharged hundreds of times.
Professor Paul Shearing, senior author of the paper from UCL’s School of Chemical Engineering and the University of Oxford, said: “To our surprise, the results showed how long the potential cycle times of these batteries are. If you use lower charge and discharge rates, you can see So, after more than 700 cycles, the capacity retention rate is still over 90%. In fact, this is a very good battery. They are just discarded and thrown randomly on the side of the road.”
“At a minimum, the public needs to understand the types of batteries used in these devices and the need to dispose of them correctly. Manufacturers should provide an ecosystem for e-cigarette battery reuse and recycling, and should also make rechargeable devices the default.”
Professor Shearing and his team are also investigating new, more selective battery recycling methods that can recycle individual components without cross-contamination, as well as more sustainable battery chemistries, including post-lithium-ion batteries, Lithium-sulfur batteries and sodium-ion batteries. To address challenges across the battery supply chain, scientists should consider the battery life cycle when considering any application for batteries.
Post time: Dec-20-2023
