Eco-friendly "water batteries" are cheaper and safer than lithium-ions

[Shawn Knight]

Forward-looking: Researchers from RMIT University in Australia have developed a new type of battery that replaces hazardous electrolytic fluids with water. Further research and development is needed, but the potential for safer alternatives to lithium-ion batteries and greener alternatives to lead-acid batteries now exists.

The team's liquid battery uses standard water with a few added salts in place of traditional electrolytic fluid like sulfuric acid or lithium salt to enable the flow of current between the positive and negative ends of the battery. It also uses bismuth metal as a coating for the zinc anode, which acts as a protective later to stop dangerous dendrites from forming, and magnesium for improved energy density.

In early testing, the water battery was able to retain 85 percent of its capacity after 500 charge cycles. Prototypes developed thus far include coin-sized batteries and cylindrical versions resembling traditional AA and AAA batteries. A design was also tested that connected to a solar panel and a 45-watt solar light that was able to keep it illuminated for 12 hours following a full day's charge.

Project lead Tianyi Ma, a chemical scientist at RMIT University, said the simplicity of their manufacturing process will make mass production that much easier. Their batteries will also be able to be safely disassembled for reuse or recycling, addressing end-of-life disposal challenges that plague current energy storage technology.

As seems to be the case with virtually every lab-based battery advancement that comes down the pipe, this one is far from being ready for prime time. The researchers are actively working to improve the energy density of their battery design by creating new nano materials to use as the electrode, in an effort to make them more comparable to lithium-ion batteries commonly found in consumer electronics.

Ma believes the water battery has the potential to replace lead-acid batteries within one to three years, and lithium-ion batteries within five to 10 years.

The team's study has been published in the science journal Advanced Materials.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/102176-eco-friendly-water-batteries-cheaper-safer-than-lithium.html

 

[stewi0001]

Gah, I keep hoping for new battery tech but never see any... Good thing I don't hold my breath over any of them.

 

[NumberNine]

Any battery will explode if you charge it fast enough. Especially water.

 

[m4a4]

I'm not seeing any obvious capacity comparisons to the traditional batteries. It makes it seem like they won't be close enough to actually be worth it.

Also, are they claiming that these batteries can't decompose into more volatile components like hydrogen if damaged?

 

[kiwigraeme]

"Further research and development is needed"
"potential to replace lead-acid batteries within one to three years"

yeah nah

I suppose could be true as what does "potential" mean
I have the potential to be a good water boy at the Super Bowl , ain't gonna happen

Anyway battery tech is progressing , ICE took decades and decades . Folks now expect just years and years

 

[mrtraver]

I don't believe any improved battery chemistry claims until I see them in real-world use. I rarely read beyond the first paragraph any more - so few pan out that they are just non-news.

 

[GeforcerFX]

 

[Uncle Al]

LOL .... there actually are several different water burning engines out there, in fact there is a professor at one of the Tennessee universities that brings it out several times a year for demo and ridding people around in it. In Australia there is one in their mechanical museum. GM bought the rights and buried them but didn't arrange to get this demo unit. Like said, it's all about using high voltage to start it, it then splits the water molecule down and burns the oxygen and hydrogen separately; really not all that difficult.

 

[kiwigraeme]

LOL .... there actually are several different water burning engines out there, in fact there is a professor at one of the Tennessee universities that brings it out several times a year for demo and ridding people around in it. In Australia there is one in their mechanical museum. GM bought the rights and buried them but didn't arrange to get this demo unit. Like said, it's all about using high voltage to start it, it then splits the water molecule down and burns the oxygen and hydrogen separately; really not all that difficult.

This thing has been floating around forever , the other was it GM bought the trams in LA and then pulled them all up . Suppose google's our friend , but it's friday afternoon Kiwi time

 

[GeforcerFX]

LOL .... there actually are several different water burning engines out there, in fact there is a professor at one of the Tennessee universities that brings it out several times a year for demo and ridding people around in it. In Australia there is one in their mechanical museum. GM bought the rights and buried them but didn't arrange to get this demo unit. Like said, it's all about using high voltage to start it, it then splits the water molecule down and burns the oxygen and hydrogen separately; really not all that difficult.

Water is too stable for that, it takes the same energy to split waters molecules up as you would be getting out of them while combusting.

 

[mbk34]

There should be a special award for the science reporter who produces the most unquestioning "next gen battery" article of the year. I'm fairly sure I could knock up a web page that would generate new next gen battery articles at the press of a button. Would TS pay for them? Would these articles be enough to generate start up funding? Could I just skip funding and go straight to an IPO?

 

[ZedRM]

Any battery will explode if you charge it fast enough. Especially water.

Um, the laws of physics would like to have a word with you about your nonsense idea..

 

[mgwerner]

Techspot should do a followup at the end of the year to recap all of their battery article claims that turned into successful product. That way all the writers could take an extra day off.

 

[Endymio]

Water is too stable for that, it takes the same energy to split waters molecules up as you would be getting out of them while combusting.

It's actually even worse, as the Second Law of Thermodynamics makes clear: you'll lose energy running the cycle. The myth of the 'water burning car' is just that.

 

[NumberNine]

Um, the laws of physics would like to have a word with you about your nonsense idea..

It would actually have two words with me and those words are Heat and Steam. Oh no wait three words, the third is amperage.

 

[ZedRM]

It would actually have two words with me and those words are Heat and Steam. Oh no wait three words, the third is amperage.

Things that batteries are normally are not exposed to. Water is no different than many other compound found in batteries. Your argument does not hold water, pun intended.

 

[GeforcerFX]

It's actually even worse, as the Second Law of Thermodynamics makes clear: you'll lose energy running the cycle. The myth of the 'water burning car' is just that.

Yup only thing water can do well is be an easier to transport hydrogen source. But you still need a lot of power at the destination to release the hydrogen for use. Ammonia tends to be easier to break if I remember correctly and is currently how they are transporting hydrogen to Europe for energy production.

 

[NumberNine]

Things that batteries are normally are not exposed to. Water is no different than many other compound found in batteries. Your argument does not hold water, pun intended.

Oh no need to argue, what I gave you was a simple fact, not an opinion. If you charge a battery fast enough, it will explode.

 

[ZedRM]

Oh no need to argue, what I gave you was a simple fact, not an opinion. If you charge a battery fast enough, it will explode.

Not true. There are many batteries that do not "explode" when overcharged. If you knew anything about real-world chemistry, you would know that. Your "simple fact" is anything but factual.

 

[Endymio]

Not true. There are many batteries that do not "explode" when overcharged. If you anything about real-world chemistry, you would know that. Your "simple fact" is anything but factual.

There are some basic facts of physics worth noting. Any battery -- chemical or otherwise -- generates heat when charged (2nd Law Thermodynamics). Heat creates pressure from thermal expansion, which in a confined environment will cause explosive failure.

Secondly, for a chemical battery to be practical it must be capable of both high energy densities and a moderately rapid controlled exothermic reaction. A rapid uncontrolled exothermic reaction is the very definition of an explosion.

In the context of this article, these "water batteries" don't form dendrites, and so are much less likely to suffer one failure mode that causes Li-ion batteries to catastrophically fail. But, if charged extremely rapidly, yes, they could still explode. Is it *likely* in practice? It remains to be seen.

 

[JamesBlond]

Any battery will explode if you charge it fast enough. Especially water.

I wonder if people have ever been burnt by steam....lol

 

[BobHome]

"The team's liquid battery uses standard water with a few added salts" - Um, isn't that called sea water?

 

[Endymio]

"The team's liquid battery uses standard water with a few added salts" - Um, isn't that called sea water?

Magnesium salts, not table salt.

 

[ZedRM]

"The team's liquid battery uses standard water with a few added salts" - Um, isn't that called sea water?

There are more salts than just Sodium-Chloride. Many more. The common use of the word "Salt" is not the same as the definition in science.

 

[mattferg]

LOL .... there actually are several different water burning engines out there, in fact there is a professor at one of the Tennessee universities that brings it out several times a year for demo and ridding people around in it. In Australia there is one in their mechanical museum. GM bought the rights and buried them but didn't arrange to get this demo unit. Like said, it's all about using high voltage to start it, it then splits the water molecule down and burns the oxygen and hydrogen separately; really not all that difficult.

The energy to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen would come from a battery, not the water itself. This would be an EV with extra, incredibly inefficient steps.