LONDON: US scientists have invented the first high-performance aluminum battery that’s fast-charging, long-lasting, and inexpensive.
“We have developed a rechargeable aluminum battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames,” says Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford University. “Our new battery won’t catch fire, even if you drill through it.”
Besides recharging much faster, the new aluminum battery is safer than existing lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames, they added.
Researchers have long tried but failed to develop a battery made of aluminum, a lightweight and relatively inexpensive metal that has high charging capacity.
A team lead by chemistry professor Hongjie Dai at Stanford University in California made a breakthrough by accidentally discovering that graphite made a good partner to aluminum, Stanford said in a statement.
In a prototype, aluminum was used to make the negatively-charged anode while graphite provided material for the positively charged cathode.
A prototype aluminum battery recharged in one minute, the scientists said.
“Lithium-ion batteries can be a fire hazard,” said Prof Dai. “Our new battery won’t catch fire, even if you drill through it.”
The new battery is also very durable and flexible, the scientists said.
While lithium-ion batteries last about 1,000 cycles, the new aluminum battery was able to continue after more than 7,500 cycles without loss of capacity. It also can be bent or folded.
Larger aluminum batteries could also be used to store renewable energy on the electrical grid, Prof Dai said.
