Researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, and University of Illinois at Chicago say they have created a room-temperature solid-state lithium-air battery that is rechargeable for 1,000 cycles, has a minimal polarization gap, and operates at high rates.

In “A room temperature rechargeable Li₂O-based lithium-air battery enabled by a solid electrolyte,” published in the journal Science, the researchers explain that their Li-air batteries use a four-electron redox mechanism with a composite polymer-ceramic solid-state electrolyte. Senior author Mohammad Asadi said the battery design could store 1 kWh/kg or more, four times more than current Li-ion batteries.

“A lithium-air battery based on lithium oxide (Li₂O) formation can theoretically deliver an energy density that is comparable to that of gasoline,” claim the authors. “The composite electrolyte embedded with Li₁₀GeP₂S₁₂ nanoparticles shows high ionic conductivity and stability and high cycle stability through a four-electron transfer process.” 

Source:  Illinois Institute of Technology, Science Journal via Green Car Congress