Lithium-ion

Researchers have found that materials known as niobium tungsten oxides form microscopic structures that let lithium ions flow through them at much greater rates than current technology allows. The finding could be the key to building safe lithium-ion cells that charge in minutes rather than hours.

Striking a balance between common materials and efficiency is important for batteries, and regular old salt looks like it could fit the bill – after a few kinks are ironed out. Now, KAUST researchers have developed a way to make disordered graphene that can improve the sodium-ion battery recipe.

​For years, scientists have seen silicon as a hugely promising material in the world of lithium-ion batteries. Scientists at Norway’s Institute for Energy Technology are now claiming to have overcome some of its limitations with a new material it calls SiliconX.

Combining the unique strengths of lithium batteries with crazy-fast charging, carbon ultra-capacitors could save a ton of weight and add significant range and power to electric vehicles, according to this fascinating French startup.

Seawater is a complex cocktail of useful minerals, but it’s hard to separate the ones we need. Now a team of scientists from Australia and the US has developed a new water desalination technique that can not only make seawater fresh enough to drink, but recover lithium ions for use in batteries.

Batteries are the engine room for so much of the modern world, so there are plenty of folks with an interest in pushing battery technology forward. 2017 brought a raft of exciting breakthroughs aimed at making them safer, longer-lasting and faster-charging. Here's the best of the bunch.

Magnesium-ion batteries have potential if scientists can crack the problem of finding an efficient electrolyte. Now scientists have developed a solid-state material that appears to be one of the fastest conductors of magnesium-ions, which could lead to safer and more efficient batteries.

​Scientists from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) are reporting a breakthrough that could greatly boost the capacity of lithium-ion batteries, while enabling them to charge five times faster.

​​Lithium-ion batteries are at the heart of all kinds of devices, so there is quite a bit of interest in making them lighter, more compact and able to hold more energy. A new tin-aluminum alloy developed by engineers in Texas might deliver on all three aspects.

As good as it is as an electrode material, lithium is relatively rare and expensive. In the search for a cheaper alternative, a Stanford team has developed a sodium-ion battery that would beat lithium-ion batteries in terms of cost per storage capacity.

Researchers at Rice University have improved lithium metal batteries with the help of an unlikely ingredient. The team found that adding asphalt to the anode made for lithium metal batteries that charge faster and are less likely to short circuit and fail.

​Stainless steel mesh is often used as filters and screens but once the material gets coated in rust and weakened, it's usually just discarded. Now Chinese scientists have figured out a way to take that metal trash and turn into high-performing treasure as electrodes in potassium ion batteries.