A group of Chinese researchers recently announced the development of a new water-based batterypresented as much safer and more energy efficient than traditional non-aqueous lithium batteries, which are considered highly flammable.
What makes this discovery even more interesting is the researchers’ claim that these new batteries will have double the energy compared to lithium options currently available on the market. This could have a revolutionary impact on the electric vehicle industry.
Aqueous batteries, unlike traditional lithium batteries, use water as a solvent for the electrolytes, which improves their safety significantly. This is especially important considering that lithium batteries, although they have a high energy density, pose safety risks due to the flammable organic electrolytes they use.
However, one of the limitations of aqueous batteries is their lower energy densitycaused by the limited solubility of the electrolyte and the low battery voltage.
To overcome this problem, Chinese researchers have developed an aqueous battery high energy density based on multi-electron transfer of halogens. This battery was developed by a research group led by Prof. LI Xianfeng of the Dalian Institute of Physical Chemistry (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and in collaboration with the group of Prof. FU Qiang also of the DICP.
Their work led to the development of a multi-electron transfer cathode based on bromine and iodine, which achieved a specific capacity of over 840 Ah/L and an energy density of up to 1200 Wh/L based on the catholyte in comprehensive battery tests, as reported in a study published in Nature Energy.
To further improve the energy density of aqueous batteries, the researchers used a mixed solution of halogens as an electrolyte, developing a multi-electron transfer reaction that led to surprising results.
Tests conducted by the researchers have shown that batteries with this new electrolyte can be extended up to at 1,000 cycles, confirming significant stability in the life cycle of the batteries.
Furthermore, the scientists highlighted that the energy density of their batteries even exceeds that of some solid electrode materials, making them economically competitive compared to traditional lithium batteries.
Finally, the researchers emphasized that this discovery is opening new possibilities in the field of storage large-scale energy and electric vehicles, offering a promising and safe alternative to the batteries currently available on the market.
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