By replacing flammable parts with nickel atoms and gel electrolytes, scientists have built a battery that keeps going even in the harshest conditions.
Image Credit: Svetlana Mahovskaya/Shutterstock.com
The research team, based in Mexico, has developed a battery that can continue to function despite being punctured and submerged in water. These circumstances would typically cause lithium-ion batteries used in mobile phones and electric vehicles to ignite. They reported their findings in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Noé Arjona and colleagues at the Center for Advanced Materials Research in Chihuahua, Mexico, created the ultra-durable prototype.
We are not using lithium-ion batteries because of the many safety concerns regarding the flammability of the electrolytes that are used in that kind of technology.
Noé Arjona, Professor, Center for Advanced Materials Research
Instead, the researchers created a metal-air battery, which combines metal and oxygen from the air instead of a flammable liquid.
Many metals also create safety concerns when they are used in batteries. Many of the most active materials are in the list of critical materials. So, we wanted to use as little metal as possible.
Noé Arjona, Center for Advanced Materials Research
Instead of bulk metal inside the battery, they aimed to produce a carbon sheet containing individual nickel atoms.
The scientists analyzed their prototype at the molecular level under the incredibly strong light of the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan.
They demonstrated that their design included single nickel atoms, which, when paired with innovative gel polymer electrolytes and zinc, removed the safety hazards associated with a battery containing a higher concentration of metal and flammable electrolytes.
The team tested their batteries by pounding a nail through it, exposing it to flames, and immersing it in water. Their prototype continued to function in all of these harsh situations.
In addition to being safer, temperature extremes have no effect on their battery design.
In Canada, you have a huge problem with recharging batteries in very cold temperatures, such as with electric vehicles. Our kind of technology doesn’t have the same issues with very low or very high temperatures.
Noé Arjona, Center for Advanced Materials Research
His team's study may result in less expensive batteries, as they are focusing on utilizing metals like nickel, which are more readily available and less expensive than lithium and cobalt.
Additionally, Arjona and his group are exploring methods to incorporate biodegradable components into their battery, making it more environmentally friendly. These components might aid in soil enrichment and plant growth once the battery approaches the end of its useful life.
The researchers intend to replace nickel with iron, which is commonly found in soil, and incorporate bioplastics into their design in future investigations.
While the team is excited about the potential of their novel design, Arjona believes further study is required before this technology can replace current batteries.
If we want to have highly safe batteries, we need to design them with single-atom catalysts. This is the future of energy storage.
Noé Arjona, Center for Advanced Materials Research
Zinc-air batteries show promise as tougher, safer alternative to lithium-ion
Zinc-air batteries show promise as tougher, safer alternative to lithium- ion. Video Credit: Canadian Light Source/YouTube.com
Journal Reference:
Coello-Mauleón, C. et.al. (2025) Single-Atom Catalyst with Optimized Ni Content in a Flexible Zn-Air Battery Operated at a Wide Temperature Range. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Doi: 10.1021/acsami.5c13455.