Scientists at Fujan University in China have developed a novel calcium-oxygen battery that could become an alternative to lithium-ion. That’s because calcium metal is 2,500 times more abundant than lithium, and their design has several other advantages. We provide a link to their research report at the end of this post.
A Stable Calcium-Oxygen Battery That is Flexible Too
This new development could be a less-expensive, and more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion, according to South China Morning Post. Interestingly, the developers built their technology into flexible fibers, perhaps with wearable devices in mind.
Their novel calcium-oxygen battery is stable, and able to charge and discharge 700 times at room temperature. This appears to put it streets ahead of other calcium competitors. Perhaps it could make the abundant metal a front-runner for future energy storage?
Lithium-ion batteries have made a name for their exceptionally high energy density, and small size per unit of power. However, the lithium metal supply-chain is uncertain going forward, and the material is unstable when not correctly handled.
A Future View Of the Potential of This Product
Calcium-oxygen batteries could theoretically deliver affordable high energy capacity, by reducing calcium to calcium-oxide compounds. However, this possibility has challenged researchers to date, because of the absence of suitable electrolytes.
But in this instance, the Fujan University team used what they describe as a ‘durable ionic liquid-based electrolyte’ for their prototype novel calcium-oxygen battery, and this provided their way forward.
This innovation enabled a two-electron reaction through ‘calcium plating-stripping in the calcium metal anode at room temperature, and improved the redox reaction in the air cathode’. We shall watch this project with interest.
More Information
A Calcium Battery Could Create a Big Stir
Could Calcium Metal Become Next Lithium?
