Advances in lithium-air technology indicate high-capacity batteries in a decade

Scientists at the university say they have developed a working laboratory demonstrator of a lithium-air battery which has very high energy density, is more than 90% efficient, and can be recharged over 2,000 times.

Lithium-oxygen, or lithium-air, batteries are seen as the ‘ultimate’ battery due to their theoretical energy density, which is ten times that of a lithium-ion battery. Such a high energy density would be comparable to that of petrol, and would enable an electric car with a battery that is a fifth the cost and weight of those currently on the market.

Several practical challenges still need to be addressed before lithium-air batteries become a viable alternative to petrol, but the Cambridge team believes it has overcome some of them with its lab-based demonstrator.

Their demonstrator relies on a highly porous, carbon electrode made from graphene, and additives that alter the chemical reactions at work in the battery, making it more stable and more efficient. While the results, reported in Science, are promising, the researchers warn that a practical lithium-air battery still remains at least a decade away.