University of Waterloo researchers have made a key breakthrough in developing next-generation batteries that are made using magnesium instead of lithium.
When the idea to create batteries using magnesium was first shared in a seminal academic paper in 2000, that novel design didn't provide enough voltage to compete with lithium-ion batteries, which are predominantly used in the marketplace. Magnesium is much more abundant and less costly than lithium, which would help further sustainable energy storage.
Now, the Waterloo team is one step closer to bringing magnesium batteries to reality, which could be more cost-friendly and sustainable than the lithium-ion versions currently available.
Linda Nazar, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Solid State Energy Materials, and Chang Li, a postdoctoral fellow in the Nazar Group, have designed an electrolyte that enables a highly-efficient magnesium anode. Li and Nazar collaborated with UC Berkeley and Sandia National Labs for this research.
Their research, "A dynamically bare metal interface enables reversible magnesium electrodeposition at 50 mAh cm-2," was published in Joule on Dec. 6.
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