A prototype of the battery at TU Wien. Credit: TU Wien
Researchers at TU Wien (Vienna) have developed a groundbreaking oxygen-ion battery, which boasts exceptional durability, eliminates the need for rare elements, and solves the problem of fire hazards.
Lithium-ion batteries, while commonplace in today’s world – powering everything from electric vehicles to smartphones – aren’t necessarily the optimal solution for all applications. Researchers at TU Wien have made a breakthrough by creating an oxygen-ion battery that offers several significant advantages. While it may not match the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, its storage capacity doesn’t diminish irreversibly over time, making it capable of an exceptionally long lifespan as it can be regenerated.
Moreover, the fabrication of oxygen-ion batteries doesn’t require scarce elements and involves non-combustible materials. The innovative battery concept has already led to a patent application, filed in collaboration with partners in Spain. These oxygen-ion batteries could provide an outstanding solution for large-scale energy storage systems, such as those required to hold electrical energy from renewable sources.
Ceramic materials as a new solution
“We have had a lot of experience with ceramic materials that can be used for fuel cells for quite some time,” says Alexander Schmid from the Institute for Chemical Technologies and Analytics at TU Wien. “That gave us the idea of investigating whether such materials might also be suitable for making a battery.”
The ceramic materials that the TU Wien team studied can absorb and release doubly negatively charged oxygen ions. When an electric voltage is applied, the oxygen ions migrate from one ceramic material to another, after which they can be made to migrate back again, thus generating electric current.
Prof. Jürgen Fleig, Tobias Huber, and Alexander Schmid (left to right). Credit: TU Wien
“The basic principle is actually very similar to the lithium-ion battery,” says Prof. Jürgen Fleig. “But our materials have some important advantages.” Ceramics are not flammable – so fire accidents, which occur time and again with lithium-ion batteries, are practically ruled out. In addition, there is no need for rare elements, which are expensive or can only be extracted in an environmentally harmful way.
“In this respect, the use of ceramic materials is a great advantage because they can be adapted very well,” says Tobias Huber. “You can replace certain elements that are difficult to obtain with others relatively easily.” The prototype of the battery still uses lanthanum – an element that is not exactly rare but not completely common either. But even lanthanum is to be replaced by something cheaper, and research into this is already underway. Cobalt or nickel, which are used in many batteries, are not used at all.
High life span
But perhaps the most important advantage of the new battery technology is its potential longevity: “In many batteries, you have the problem that at some point the charge carriers can no longer move,” says Alexander Schmid. “Then they can no longer be used to generate electricity, the capacity of the battery decreases. After many charging cycles, that can become a serious problem.”
The oxygen-ion battery, however, can be regenerated without any problems: If oxygen is lost due to side reactions, then the loss can simply be compensated for by oxygen from the ambient air.
The new battery concept is not intended for smartphones or electric cars, because the oxygen-ion battery only achieves about a third of the energy density that one is used to from lithium-ion batteries and runs at temperatures between 200 and 400 °C. The technology is, however, extremely interesting for storing energy.
“If you need a large energy storage unit to temporarily store solar or wind energy, for example, the oxygen-ion battery could be an excellent solution,” says Alexander Schmid. “If you construct an entire building full of energy storage modules, the lower energy density and increased operating temperature do not play a decisive role. But the strengths of our battery would be particularly important there: the long service life, the possibility of producing large quantities of these materials without rare elements, and the fact that there is no fire hazard with these batteries.”
Reference: “Rechargeable Oxide Ion Batteries Based on Mixed Conducting Oxide Electrodes” by Alexander Schmid, Martin Krammer and Jürgen Fleig, 25 January 2023, Advanced Energy Materials.
DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202203789
FAQs
Researchers from Austria have invented a new kind of battery called an oxygen-ion battery. The battery is greener, longer lasting, and less flammable than the current near-ubiquitous lithium-ion battery.
What is the new type of battery invented? ›
An oxygen-ion-battery has been invented, based on ceramic materials. If it degrades, it can be regenerated, therefore it potentially has an extremely long lifespan. Also, it does not require any rare elements and it is incombustible.
How does oxygen-ion battery work? ›
The electrodes of OIBs are composed of a ceramic material with a high oxygen affinity, such as perovskite-type oxides. Mixed conducting oxide electrodes can change stoichiometry (depending on the oxygen chemical potential), and thus absorb and release oxygen ions during the battery charging and discharging process.
Who invented the ion battery? ›
M. Stanley Whittingham, John Goodenough, and Akira Yoshino were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries.
What is the new battery from NASA? ›
NASA's new sulfur selenium prototype battery is not only safer than lithium-ion batteries, but more powerful. As CleanTechnica reports, the prototype has an energy density of 500 watt-hours per kilogram (about 227 watt-hours per pound) — double the energy density of conventional lithium-ion batteries.
What new battery will replace lithium? ›
Sodium-ion batteries avoid the need for critical materials such as lithium. Sodium-ion batteries unveiled by Swedish group Northvolt last month completely avoid the need for critical minerals such as lithium. This is currently the only viable battery chemistry that does not contain lithium.
What will future batteries be made of? ›
According to Meng, another emerging battery technology with promise is the sodium-ion battery. “We want to see if there's an alternative solution for lithium because something like sodium would be more abundant,” Meng says.
Who makes oxygen-ion batteries? ›
But that does not mean that they are the best solution for all areas of application. TU Wien has now succeeded in developing an oxygen-ion battery that has some important advantages.
What is the battery that could change the world? ›
Luckily, a group of genius researchers may have just found a near-perfect solution: an oxygen-ion battery! Before diving in, I feel obligated to state that, despite lithium-ion's shortcomings, using these batteries for EVs and renewable storage is still better for the planet than any fossil-fuel power.
What are the cons of oxygen-ion batteries? ›
The batteries can't hold the same energy density as lithium-ion batteries (making them less efficient), and they get hot. Really hot, as in 200 to 400 degrees Celsius hot.
Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. With airline approval, passengers may also carry up to two spare larger lithium ion batteries (101–160 Wh) or lithium metal batteries (2-8 grams).
Who makes batteries for NASA? ›
Electrochemical Research, Technology, & Engineering Group
Specialized space-rated Li-ion batteries have been developed by JPL and the United States Air Force, in concert with domestic commercial partners, and are now successfully deployed in virtually all NASA missions, including the Mars Exploration Rovers and Juno.
What is the biggest problem with lithium batteries? ›
Disposal. Lithium-ion batteries contain metals such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese, which are toxic and can contaminate water supplies and ecosystems if they leach out of landfills. Additionally, fires in landfills or battery-recycling facilities have been attributed to inappropriate disposal of lithium-ion batteries ...
Is Earth battery possible? ›
Earth Battery Energy Storage can make very efficient use of low-temperature heat sources, such as solar thermal or geothermal, both of which can be used in series with conventional power plants to reduce fuel consumption, thereby reducing CO2 production.
Are lithium batteries the new oil according to Elon Musk? ›
The move comes after Musk fittingly referred to lithium batteries as 'the new oil,' apropos especially as he and Tesla dig into a part of the US famed for its black gold wealth. "Lithium refining is in high demand," investment website The Motley Fool noted.
Does Elon Musk have a battery company? ›
As the co-founder and CEO of Tesla, Elon leads all product design, engineering and global manufacturing of the company's electric vehicles, battery products and solar energy products. Since the company's inception in 2003, Tesla's mission has been to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.
What is the name of the new battery technology? ›
NEW GENERATION LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
Several chemistries are gathered under the name of li-ion batteries, as the result of decades of selection and optimization close to perfection of positive and negative active materials.
What was the modern battery? ›
Modern Batteries: Today the world is dominated by zinc, lead, and lithium based batteries. They are safer and smaller than the same type of batteries were in the early days.
Is there a better battery than lithium ion? ›
Sodium-ion battery charges faster than lithium-ion variants and have a three times higher lifecycle. However, sodium-ion batteries lack of a well-established raw material supply chain and the technology is still in early stages of development.
