Water-based battery breakthrough offers 2,000-cycle stability, could boost electric aviation
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
A research team has achieved new milestones in the field of aqueous battery electrolytes as their novel electrolyte system eliminates long-standing technical barriers in aqueous energy storage.
Developed by researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD), the innovation could bridge the gap between today's commercial aqueous batteries—such as lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride—and cutting-edge non-aqueous lithium-ion batteries.
The research team led by Chinese researcher Wang Chunsheng, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UMD, revealed that their novel electrolyte system is capable of operating at an unprecedented voltage of 0.0-4.9 V.
Long-standing reduction potential limit of aqueous electrolytes
This innovation successfully overcomes the long-standing reduction potential limit of aqueous electrolytes—extending it from 1.3 V down to 0.0 V—and opens the door to truly high-energy-density aqueous batteries.
Researchers also underlined that their model battery incorporating the new electrolyte system retained stable performance after more than 2,000 cycles, demonstrating exceptional long-term durability during testing.
"We developed membrane-free aqueous/organic bi-layer electrolytes and reduced interface resistance and mixing between the aqueous and organic phases by adding super-lithophilic ionophores," said Xiyue Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher in Wang's lab and first author of the paper.
Safety and eco-friendly nature
The safety and eco-friendly nature of water-based electrolytes offer a major advantage over traditional electrolytes used in batteries. These offer better prospects for next-generation energy storage.
However, the challenge remains in a narrow electrochemical stability window that caps the working voltage of aqueous batteries, limiting their energy density and application scope, according to a press release by UMD.
Technology holds potential for broad range of applications
Now, the latest method overcomes the challenge, and researchers claim that their technology holds exciting potential for a broad range of applications, from electric aviation to large-scale low-carbon grid storage—and even lithium extraction from seawater.
Published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the research reveals that the aqueous/non-aqueous electrolytes suffer from biphasic mixing and high impedance when Li ions cross the biphasic interface.
Latest innovation overcomes the interface challenges in biphasic electrolytes
"Here we propose the use of 12-crown-4 (12C4) and tetraglyme (G4) as lithium ionophores to form Li+(ionophore) nanoclusters in both non-aqueous and aqueous phases to overcome the interface challenges in biphasic electrolytes," said researchers in the study.
Researchers also highlighted that earlier water-in-salt aqueous electrolytes offered a 3.0V stability window; they were not compatible with high-energy lithium metal or graphite anodes, another key component of the high-energy battery. This voltage mismatch became a bottleneck in pushing aqueous batteries to higher energy densities.
However, the innovation successfully overcomes the long-standing reduction potential limit of aqueous electrolytes—extending it from 1.3 V down to 0.0 V—and could lead to high-energy-density aqueous energy devices.
Researchers also stressed that the results of the study not only push the frontier of aqueous electrolyte development but also offer a theoretical and technological foundation for building next-generation energy storage systems that are both safe and high in energy density.
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