10 Cutting-Edge Power Technologies on the Horizon

2. Unlocking the Low-Cost, Low-Flammability Potential of Aluminum BatteriesStanford University scientists claim they have cracked many of the problems related to creating commercially viable aluminum-ion batteries. Such batteries would be inexpensive, less prone to explode than Li-ion technology, and have a high-charge storage capacity. But researchers for decades have struggled to make them as rechargeable as alkaline and lithium-ion batteries.The Stanford proof-of-concept battery prototype is able to charge within a minute, and is able to withstand more than 7500 recharging cycles without any loss of capacity, Stanford University reported in an April news release. That is a huge improvement over the roughly 100 charge-discharge cycles typically achieved with aluminum-ion batteries, not to mention the 1000 cycles typically achieved with a lithium-ion battery.An aluminum-ion battery includes a negatively-charged aluminum anode and a positively charged cathode. "People have tried different kinds of materials for the cathode," Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford, said in a news release. "We accidentally discovered that a simple solution is to use graphite, which is basically carbon. In our study, we identified a few types of graphite material that give us very good performance."There are still major challenges to overcome, however, the biggest involving storage capacity."Our battery produces about half the voltage of a typical lithium battery," Dai said. "But improving the cathode material could eventually increase the voltage and energy density. Otherwise, our battery has everything else you'd dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility, and long cycle life. I see this as a new battery in its early days. It's quite exciting."On to the next breakthrough...