A recent study by Texas A&M University researchers has revealed that the storage capacity of metal-free, water-based batteries can vary a 1,000% depending on the types of electrodes used in them.

The researchers explained that aqueous batteries comprise three main components: a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode.

The cathodes and anodes are made of polymers that can store energy, while the electrolyte is a mixture of water and organic salts. The electrolyte plays a crucial role in ion conduction and energy storage by interacting with the electrode.

If the electrode swells excessively during cycling, it can lose its ability to conduct electrons efficiently, significantly decreasing the battery’s performance.

The team emphasized that the choice of electrolyte has a massive impact on the battery’s energy storage capacity, with up to 1,000% variation depending on the electrolyte used due to the swelling effects.

The findings provide a better understanding of the molecular-level factors that contribute to the performance of battery electrodes, which can guide future materials design for improved battery performance.

The newly discovered water-based batteries do not contain cobalt, which sets them apart from lithium-ion batteries.

The research provides greater control over the domestic supply chain since the production of cobalt and lithium is outsourced. Moreover, using safer chemistry in these batteries would reduce the risk of battery fires.

Jodie Lutkenhaus, a professor of chemical engineering, and Daniel Tabor, an assistant professor of chemistry, have published their research findings in the scientific journal Nature Materials.

Lutkenhaus said these batteries could become a viable alternative in case of projected materials shortages, which could cause lithium-ion battery prices to increase significantly.

Since the materials required for water-based batteries can be manufactured in the U.S., their supply is more stable and reliable, making them a potential solution to meet the increasing demand.

The researchers suggested that redox-active, non-conjugated radical polymers can be considered potential candidates for metal-free aqueous batteries due to their high discharge voltage and fast redox kinetics.

To examine the nature of this reaction, the researchers used an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring at various timescales to analyze aqueous electrolytes with different characteristics.

To complement the experimental efforts, the group conducted computational simulations and analysis. These simulations provided insights into the molecular-scale structure and dynamics of the system, giving a more detailed picture of the process.

In their research, one of the new computational approaches they used was charging the electrode to multiple states of charge and observing how the surrounding environment responded to this charging.

To determine if certain types of salts were enhancing the performance of the battery cathode, the researchers macroscopically observed the battery during operation, measuring the amount of water and salt that was entering the battery.

The team expressed the desire to extend their simulations to future systems and improve their understanding of the forces driving the injection of water and solvent.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have developed a solution that combines power from renewable sources with electricity from the public grid and uses batteries to compensate for fluctuations.

Earlier this month, researchers at the Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, China, and Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan, claimed to upcycle crab shells into porous, carbon-filled materials with various uses, including using the crab carbon to create anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.