One Step Closer to Seawater Batteries

This article was originally published on Engineering For Change.

---

Seawater batteries are not in stores, yet, but researchers have taken a step closer to practicality. A universal thick anode in development can use saltwater-based electrolytes, paving the way for durable, long-lasting seawater batteries. This advanvement could make energy storage more accessible while reducing reliance on critical raw materials, according to research published by Xiaolei Wang, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues in Advanced Materials.
 
“If we can utilize this type of battery technology in storing our energies, then we can have reliable, we can have safer, we can have affordable battery technologies or energy storage technologies for everyone,” Wang said in a statement to the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan, which supported the research.
 
Aqueous batteries are promised to be safer, cheaper, and easier to recycle than lithium-ion, but their development was held back by the lack of a viable anode. The anode Wang and team have made, when paired with a metal-free cathode, makes for seawater batteries with a lifespan of thousands of charge-discharge cycles. 
 
To build the anode, the researchers developed a new material from polymer nanosheets and carbon nanotubes capable of storing ions found in seawater. The thicker anode design holds more energy, lasts through extreme conditions, and endures up to 380,000 charge cycles. The result could push seawater batteries out of the laboratory and into real-world energy storage.
 
The anode addresses challenges in energy storage by lowering the costs of materials while increasing performance compared to other battery chemistries. Seawater batteries could put grid-level battery storage in reach. 
 
“Current lithium batteries have reached their limitations in terms of energy storage capability, life cycle, and safety,” Wang said. “They’re good for applications like electric vehicles and portable electronics, but they’re not suitable for large-scale grid-level energy storage.”
 
Rob Goodier is news editor at Engineering for Change. This article first appeared as One Step Closer to Seawater Batteries.