Scientists discover how oxygen loss saps a lithium-ion battery's voltage

In this illustration, the pairs of red spheres are escaping oxygen atoms and purple spheres are metal ions. This new understanding could lead to new ways to minimize the problem and improve battery performance.

Researchers from the DOE's SLAC National Laboratory have measured over hundreds of cycles, the super-slow process of oxygen seepage from a lithium ion battery electrode that eventually saps the battery's energy storage capacity by 10-15%. Now this unprecedented detail could lead to new ways of mitigating oxygen loss and its damaging effects.