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Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in a variety of applications, from smartphones, laptops, drills, and UPS to cars, scooters, and even to store energy generated by solar panels and wind turbines.
They play a vital role in the way we live.
But since the demand is burgeoning, the materials involved in producing them might face shortages sooner rather than later.
What will happen when every bit of lithium is depleted? Does it get recycled in the same amount? What other options are available?
Scientists at Texas A&M University have been focusing on metal-free, water-based battery electrodes, which have shown an energy storage capacity of as much as 1,000%.
Apart from reducing the dependence on lithium and other minerals, researchers also point out that these batteries put an end to battery fires.
How do water-based batteries work?
The university’s research, published on 27 March, explains that water-based, or aqueous, batteries are made up of an electrolyte, a cathode (the negatively charged electrode), and an anode (the positively charged electrode).
While traditional batteries have the same components, the contrast with the new batteries lies in the materials used.
In the water-based battery, the anodes and cathodes are polymers that can store energy, and the electrolyte is water mixed with organic salts.
The electrolyte transfers the ions (the charge-carrying particles) back and forth between the anode and the cathode, and the electrolyte, while interacting with the electrodes, is key to power storage.
Dr Jodie Lutkenhaus, chemical engineering professor and co-author of the paper, said, “If an electrode swells too much during cycling, then it can’t conduct electrons very well, and you lose all the performance.”
“I believe there is a 1,000% difference in energy storage capacity depending on the electrolyte choice because of the swelling effects,” she added.
As reported in their paper, the electrodes – the redox-active non-conjugated radical polymers – are promising candidates for aqueous batteries due to the polymers’ high discharge voltage and fast redox kinetics.
Nevertheless, there are still unresolved issues. Researchers stated that “little is known regarding the energy storage mechanism of these polymers in an aqueous environment. The reaction is complex and difficult to resolve because of the simultaneous transfer of electrons, ions, and water molecules.”
What’s coming for water-based batteries?
“There would be no battery fires anymore because it’s water-based.” Lutkenhaus said.
She likewise explained that with this different battery, the supply is much more stable because they have the resources to make them in the United States.
“In the future, if material shortages are projected, the price of lithium-ion batteries will go way up.”
Furthermore, researchers are running computational simulations and analyses to develop a greater insight into the theory behind these advanced batteries.
Dr Daniel Tabor, chemistry assistant and co-author of the study, said this new energy storage technology is an advance over Li-ion batteries.
“We have a better molecular level picture of what makes some battery electrodes work better than others, and this gives us strong evidence of where to go forward in material design,” he added.
Conclusion
This new technology could revolutionise the industry and promises a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
They offer higher energy storage capacity, eliminate battery fires, and reduce the dependence on lithium and other minerals that might face shortages in the future.
If scientists refine this method and prove it to be eco-friendly and affordable, we could witness a large-scale adoption of water-based batteries across various applications in no time.
