New Lithium-Air Battery Delivers 10 Times the Energy Density

Al writes "A company called PolyPlus has developed lithium metal-air batteries that have 10 times the energy density of regular lithium-ion batteries. The anode is made up entirely of lithium metal, and the surrounding air acts as the cathode, making the batteries incredibly energy dense. Previous efforts to make lithium metal batteries have been stymied by the sensitivity of lithium to water in the air. The new batteries use a sophisticated membrane to protect the lithium anode and PolyPlus has even created a version that works underwater, by drawing oxygen through the membrane. Lithium metal-air batteries could be light-weight power sources for demand for plug-in hybrid vehicles and consumer electronics; IBM also recently announced that it would develop lithium metal-air batteries for the energy grid and for transportation."

Same old story...

[abigsmurf]

"it expects these batteries to be on the market within a few years"

Just like those ultra efficient, cheap, solar panels we've been promised 'next year' each year for the last decade.

They have a design for a battery...so what?

[dtolman]

There's no here here. They don't have any real batteries in production. Its still in real-world testing. Or to put it in more slashdot-centric way of thinking... they don't even have 2/4 steps for profit 1) Announce untested idea for new battery 2) ?????? 3) ?????? 4) Profit!

Re:Double edged sword

[trybywrench]

I'm not sure that is a blessing or a curse. Burning down your house isn't worth having a longer lasting laptop;

I know what you mean but you could also say burning down your house isn't worth having a stove. You just need to know that the battery can be dangerous and you should handle it accordingly.

Re:Explosions

[PotatoFarmer]

Previous efforts to make lithium metal batteries have been stymied by the sensitivity of lithium to water in the air.

I believe the summary is the first time I've ever seen "sensitivity" used as a synonym for "tendency to explode violently."

Based on some spectacular chemistry class demonstrations of lithium/water interaction, I'm going with significantly less safe than Li-ion.

I'm so happy 'cause today I found my friends

[CopaceticOpus]

If these batteries really can store 10 times the energy of current batteries, they could be revolutionary. They could make the electric car more practical than using gasoline.

However, the big catch is that we can't really produce enough Lithium [wikipedia.org] to make all those batteries. There is a plentiful supply in the water: "Seawater contains an estimated 230 billion tons of lithium, though at a low concentration of 0.1 to 0.2 ppm." But there's probably no practical way to extract it.

Re:Double edged sword

[rally2xs]

Batteries may be somewhat dangerous, but right now we're parking our cars in our garages with 15 gallons of gasoline in the tanks. If it gets out, it flows all over the place. It also fills the air with an explosive gas that will also cause poisoning in people, or at least intoxication. Lose one threat, gain another. The battery is probably safer than the gasoline.

Re:Same old story...

[GooberToo]

Price isn't an issue anymore, the break even point is just a few years.

Not according to the article on Slashdot just a few days ago. You'll looking at break even in 14-20 years for any entire system which can take your house off the grid. And that assumes a very sunny location.

Re:Not even rechargable!

[mr_mischief]

If they last a month in my laptop, are cheap to replace, and can be conveniently dropped into a recycling bin where I pick up my new batteries, then I don't care so much. It's the logistics that matter as much as anything. It's usually the logistics that are overlooked.

If you lived, worked, and shopped within a few blocks, you wouldn't even worry about your car most days. That's logistics.

If you could replace gasoline with hydrogen, that'd be great. However, you'd also have to replace gasoline with hydrogen in all those gasoline stations. Yet you can't get rid of the gasoline at the stations until everyone else's car stops running on gasoline, too.

Electric cars are great, but most of them need to be recharged overnight. If you build a car than can recharge for a 200-mile trip in 5 minutes, you still need to have recharging stations that can deliver that amount of power that are easily accessible. See? Logistics.

Re:I love all these green techs

[TheRaven64]

Unless they are in the store at an affordable price it doesn't matter to me

In that case, I suggest you read Consumer Weekly, instead of a technology news site.

Re:Same old story...

[berend botje]

Well, that depends on the price of a kWh of electricity. In Europe prices are generally a lot higher than in the USA. I'm looking at a price of around $0.40 per kWh. That alone makes solar cells a viable alternative.

Re:Same old story...

[berend botje]

I stand corrected. You and OP used a perfectly normal word. You are right in your assertion I should have looked it up before posting.

Thanks for expanding my vocabulary.

Re:Same old story...

[lastomega7]

Because there is no way an actual instrument would require a battery. No need for any kind of preamp.

Re:Same old story...

[Rei]

Come now, mods, that wasn't a troll. It's hard for people to admit mistakes in a discussion (I myself fall into that same trap from time to time). Don't discourage it by calling them trolls for doing so.

Re:Explosions

[dov_0]

Oh, right, except that equation deals with nuclear energy and not chemical energy.

It's all relative isn't it?

Re:Explosions

[realnrh]

Any time someone thinks they've idiot-proofed anything, the universe takes that as a challenge to design a bigger idiot.

Re:Explosions

[Hal_Porter]

Maybe she needed lithium in her body.