Lithium-Air Batteries

Scientists have made a breakthrough that overcomes a technical issue that has held back highly promising lithium-metal battery architecture, which could pave the way for batteries with as much as 10 times the capacity of today's devices.

Zinc-air batteries are enticing thanks to their high energy density and cheap materials. Unfortunately, that's countered by how difficult it is to recharge them. Now researchers have created new catalysts out of abundant elements that could see rechargeable zinc-air batteries vying with li-ions.

In a great example of a low-cost research solution that could deliver big results, University of Michigan scientists have created a window for lithium-based batteries in order to film them as they charge and discharge.​

The main issue of lithium-air batteries is lack of efficiency and lithium peroxide build up. But now a team at Yale has used a molecule found in blood as a catalyst, which not only improved the lithium-oxygen function, but may help reduce biowaste.

MIT scientists have advanced a new design for a lithium-air cell that could perform better than commercial lithium-ion, while also using cheaper materials.

Scientists have discovered a way to avoid the clogging up of the electrode in lithium-air batteries, resulting in an experimental device that could lead to batteries with five time the energy density of those currently available.​

Although a practical lithium-air battery is still some years from becoming a commercial reality, researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a working laboratory demonstrator that shows how many of the problems holding back the development of lithium-air batteries could be overcome.

Stanford researchers have found that concentric carbon nanotubes could be a cheap alternative for some of the platinum catalysts that convert hydrogen and oxygen into water in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

In an effort to dramatically increase the range of electric vehicles, IBM has teamed up with Japanese companies Asahi Kasei and Central Glass to help develop lithium-air battery technology.

MIT researchers have further improved the energy density of lithium-air batteries through the creation of a carbon-fiber-based cathode.

This Monday, IBM announced its fifth annual "Next Five in Five" – a list of five technologies that the company believes “have the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years.”

Researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough that could help make the commercial development of lightweight lithium-air rechargeable batteries a reality.