Although lithium-air batteries are widely used across the globe today, and they do of course have many benefits, they also have more drawbacks than many people do not realise. Some of the negative features of these batteries include the masses of energy that is wasted as heat as well as the expensive, additional components that are required for pumping oxygen gas to and from the battery. However, a team of international scientists have been working together to try and find a more efficient way to run lithium-air batteri
The collaboration of international researchers developed a new battery type concept based on the lithium-air type but without its drawbacks. Its called a nanolithia cathode battery and it is so more efficient than conventional lithium-air batteries. One of the reasons for this is that while electrochemical reactions are taking place between lithium and oxygen as they normally would, in the new battery type the oxygen is never reverted to a gaseous form, keeping it solid. This helps to reduce voltage loss and as a result less electrical energy is turned into heat.
Researchers have also confirmed that the cost of manufacturing the new batteries will be much less also as no additional expensive components are needed and the kind of liquid electrolyte used in the battery is the cheapest of its kind, according to Ju Li, Battelle Energy Alliance Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT and one of the lead contributors of this research. Also according to Li, the new batteries will be scalable, cheap and much safer than any other lithium-air batteries and the team are hopeful to have a practical prototype in place within the next year.
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