Silver Battery Buzz

A new Samsung silver solid-state battery is all the buzz with the silver bugs. The technology was presented back in March of this year by the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and the Samsung R&D Institute Japan. But a recent report from the Silver Academy in August has got the bug's ears up. The battery is solid-state and long-lasting up to 20 years. Rather than trying to substitute silvers' unbeatable chemical properties due to cost, the Samsung team has embraced the properties to make a more cost-effective option. So why is the battery getting everyone excited and what could it mean for the silver price in the future?

Silver Chemical Properties

Silver is the most thermal and electrically conductive of all metals, on a scale of 100 (which silver ranks at 100) copper comes in at 97, gold at 76, and everything else including lithium below this.

As it has high electrical conductivity, it also has high thermal conductivity, so it’s not prone to overheating. Additionally, it is highly malleable enabling minute material amounts to be used to transfer electrical currents.

Lithium-ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used, and work by utilising ‘lithium electrolytes’ in solution to facilitate the transfer of current. As they are liquid, the lithium anodes can develop tiny, tree-like structures called dendrites which can produce side effects reducing the battery's life span. Typically, most lithium batteries will last about 15-20 years.

Disposal of lithium batteries in Australia is problematic, and currently, it’s estimated lithium batteries are causing up to 10,000 fires a year in waste facilities. Additionally, there are frequent news reports of scooters or cars spontaneously catching fire in garages and car parks. These fires are often caused by a metal fragment puncturing the partition between the separate battery components, leaving the lithium exposed to water, and causing a vigorous exothermic reaction generating high heat. As mistreatment of the batteries is the key reason for these fires, waste handling will be problematic in the future.

Samsung's silver solid-state batteries – How they work

Samsung has proposed an Ag-C composite layer inside a pouch cell, and due to the malleability and conductivity of silver, this creates a greater energy-dense battery allowing for increased capacity, longer life cycle, and all in a more compact size. Due to the solid-state of the battery, these properties meant the prototype was 50% smaller than a traditional lithium-ion battery. The battery would allow an EV to travel 800km on a single charge, with a life cycle of over 1,000 charges.

Potential Benefits

With the problems in the lithium-ion battery industry around degradation and damage due to its liquid state, it becomes obvious why everyone is getting excited about a ‘solid-state alternative’.

• Reduced Weight – as the metal anode is contained in a smaller area
• Increased safety – with damage unlikely to cause fires
• Simplified materials – this will make it easier to recycle
• Cost-effectiveness - due to slower aging and low silver content due to the Ag-C construct.
• The Potential Impact of Silver Solid-State Batteries

Why the bugs are excited

Current silver mining output is estimated at 25,000 tonnes per annum, the article from the Silver Academy ‘The Engine Cares Not What it Powers. The Public Turns to Silver for Faster Charge, Longer Range and Longer Life’, estimates that these new silver batteries could increase demand by 25,400 per annum, taking the entire mining output.

This could increase the price of silver significantly due to supply shortages as the green revolution starts looking for safer alternatives to the lithium-ion battery. So, get ready for the next silver squeeze.