Breakthrough battery is fire-safe, water-based, organic, durable, and recyclable
A research team from Tohoku University, in collaboration with Nitto Boseki Ltd., has developed a new organic redox polymer that solves some major challenges in the development of safer and more sustainable water-based batteries. The research — published in the Polymer Journal — details a high-performance electrode material that is compatible with aqueous electrolytes and recyclable.
Organic batteries, which use polymers made from earth-abundant elements, have proven to be a promising area to explore in scientific research. But many of the best organic molecules used for storing charge are hydrophobic, so they don't perform well in water-based systems.
This Tohoku research team solved this by chemically bonding a high-capacity organic molecule called hydroquinone with polyallylamine — a water-soluble polymer backbone. The new polymer structure is not only suitable for water-based batteries, but it also uses electrostatic repulsion to prevent a common side reaction that hampers hydroquinone's performance.
As a proof-of-concept, the research team built a “polymer-air” battery using the new material. The battery demonstrated high durability in the tests conducted, losing just 1% of its capacity in over 100 cycles. Also, the use of a water-based electrolyte means the absence of the fire risk associated with conventional batteries.
We reported a similar achievement about 10 days ago, highlighting the growing trend in recyclability-minded design of batteries. In that research, an MIT team created a self-assembling solid-state electrolyte from Kevlar-like molecules that could be dissolved in an organic solvent for easy recycling. The new polymer from Tohoku University researchers is also recyclable, but with a slightly different approach — it can be broken down into its raw materials through acid treatment.
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