A lithium-based battery with exceptionally long service life and high energy density is on the horizon with a lithium-air cell engineered by researchers from Illinois Institute of Technology, U.S. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and the University of Illinois.

The battery chemistry is based on a solid electrolyte composed of low-cost ceramic polymer material, which can increase energy density by as much as four times above lithium-ion batteries and significantly extend electric vehicle driving range. The inclusion of solid instead of a liquid electrolyte also enhances safety, as flammability hazards ae eliminated.

By operating at room temperature with oxygen supplied by air from the surrounding environment, the need for oxygen tanks is eliminated. As reported in Science, the researchers operated a test cell for 1,000 cycles, demonstrating its stability over repeated charge and discharge.

“With further development, we expect our new design for the lithium-air battery to also reach a record energy density of 1,200 watt-hours per kilogram,” said Larry Curtiss of ANL. ​“That is nearly four times better than lithium-ion batteries.”

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