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Chinese scientists say new calcium-based batteries could be a ‘cheaper and safer’ alternative to lithium-ion batteries

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“[The battery could turn] “We apply the chemistry of calcium to a promising sustainable energy storage technology,” the team from China’s Fudan University said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.

Lithium-ion batteries are known for their high energy density, or energy storage capacity relative to weight and size, and are the most widely used batteries worldwide.

However, ensuring a reliable supply of lithium is sustainable industry Things like renewable energy storage and electric vehicles.

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The International Energy Agency predicted lithium shortage by next year as demand for EVs soars amid the global net-zero drive. Lithium mining is also an expensive and water-intensive process.

Batteries made from calcium are “expected to be cheaper and safer than lithium-ion batteries” and have comparable theoretical energy capacity, the paper said.

The researchers said that among calcium-based battery types, calcium-oxygen systems have “the highest theoretical energy density.” This is because the battery’s fuel comes from oxygen in the air, rather than from substances stored within the battery.

But calcium-oxygen batteries do not operate stably at room temperature, and so far no rechargeable batteries have been able to do so, according to a paper published Wednesday.

The researchers wrote that a major challenge for the researchers was finding an electrolyte (the component that allows the battery to charge and discharge) that does not cause the calcium reactions that limit the battery’s capacity.

To solve this problem, the Fudan team created a liquid-based electrolyte that can accommodate both the calcium and oxygen components of the battery.

The researchers said the rechargeable batteries they produced could be a cheaper alternative to lithium-based batteries and could be used in a wide range of applications.

02:01

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“The proposed calcium-oxygen battery is stable in air and can be made into flexible fibers that can be woven into textile batteries for next-generation wearable systems,” the researchers wrote.

After depositing the battery components onto the fibers, the researchers discovered that the fiber batteries could operate stably even when bent from 0 degrees to 180 degrees.

“Using commercially available braiding machines, these fiber batteries can be woven into breathable and flexible battery fibers to power electronic devices such as mobile phones,” the paper said.

Although the battery’s performance and capacity were still limited, the researchers believe further engineering techniques could improve the battery’s operation, and the study opens the door to producing calcium batteries using other materials. Stated.



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