TOKYO, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese research team has developed a new type of lithium battery that uses water instead of flammable organic solvents and nanoscale molybdenum oxide as the negative electrode. This battery is highly safe, eliminating concerns about fire, and can be charged quickly.
The electrolyte in lithium batteries used in mobile phones and electric vehicles uses flammable organic solvents, posing a fire hazard. People are trying to find a safer electrolyte material.
A research team from Yokohama National University and Sumitomo Electric Industries, among other institutions, used water as the electrolyte and searched for electrode materials that could not degrade battery performance. The researchers discovered that using nanoscale molybdenum-based oxides as the negative electrode resulted in battery performance at a practical level.
Because this battery poses no risk of fire and can be quickly charged, its capacity decreases by less than 30% even after 2000 charge-discharge cycles, making it a promising candidate for energy storage batteries or short-range electric vehicles. The research team aims to commercialize this new battery within three years.
