Water-retaining electrolyte paves the way for cheaper and easier-to-produce batteries

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new battery electrolyte that can hold a thousand times more water than conventional electrolytes. It is stated that the developed electrolyte can enable cheaper and easier batteries to be produced.

To facilitate production

Scientists working on new generation batteries have carried out a new study on water, which has been thought to have negative effects on batteries until now. The new discovery eliminates the need previously for lithium-ion batteries to be built under often extremely dry conditions in order to hold large amounts of charge, and allows a particular type of lithium-ion battery to literally hold water.

Using an electrolyte consisting of two types of salts without the need to provide the necessary dry environment to manufacture lithium-ion batteries, the team observed that many more water molecules could be stably absorbed by the electrolyte.

Water, which reacts with the electrolyte itself to form corrosive by-products that consume the battery, degrades battery performance even in small quantities. The researchers found that a new electrolyte consisting of a lithium salt and an ionic liquid can separate and bind water, separating individual water molecules. Experimental work has shown that it can contain a thousand times more water than electrolytes in conventional batteries.

The team believes this development will provide a potential way for them to incorporate water into the battery manufacturing process, allowing for lower cost, more environmentally friendly production.