A global team of researchers and industry collaborators led by RMIT University has developed recyclable ‘water batteries’ that won’t catch fire or explode.
Lithium-ion energy storage dominates the market due to its technological maturity, but its suitability for large-scale grid energy storage is limited by safety concerns with the volatile materials inside.
Lead researcher Distinguished Professor Tianyi Ma said their batteries were at the cutting edge of an emerging field of aqueous energy storage devices, with breakthroughs that significantly improve the technology’s performance and lifespan.
“What we design and manufacture are called aqueous metal-ion batteries – or we can call them water batteries,” said Ma, from RMIT’s School of Science.
The team uses water to replace organic electrolytes – which enable the flow of electric current between the positive and negative terminals – meaning their batteries can’t start a fire or blow up – unlike their lithium-ion counterparts.
“Addressing end-of-life disposal challenges that consumers, industry, and governments globally face with current energy storage technology, our batteries can be safely disassembled and the materials can be reused or recycled,” Ma said.
The simplicity of manufacturing processes for their water batteries helped make mass production feasible, he said.
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