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Planet friendly proton batteries join the roster for lithium-ion alternatives

Who doesn't like protons? (Image Source: Stephen Pereyra)
Who doesn't like protons? (Image Source: Stephen Pereyra)
Researchers at USNW Sydney have recently developed an organic battery cell with impressive capacity, fast charge times, and is environmentally friendly. As the supply of Lithium slowly shrinks, the necessity for alternatives grows.

Researchers at UNSW Sydney have successfully created a novel organic proton battery. At its core, the battery relies on a newly synthesized organic compound known as tetraamino-benzoquinone (TABQ). Researchers are excited because the battery presents a viable and sustainable alternative to the current lithium standard and offers several advantages over older technology.

One fundamental improvement that proton batteries have over lithium-ion packs is that they do not rely on lithium. Lithium is a limited resource and is not equally available worldwide, which often leads to supply issues and trade concerns. Additionally, lithium is dangerous when mishandled and has a reputation for being difficult to recycle. Instead, the proton battery uses TABQ, a molecularly modified version of tetrachloro-benzoquinone or TCBQ. TCBQ is already known and used as an electrode material but is not efficient enough at performing what a battery does, i.e., storing chemical energy and converting it to electrical energy. Fortunately for researchers, TCBQ is the perfect starting point for TABQ, as it has a much better-suited structure for holding protons.

Like other batteries, proton batteries transform chemical power into electrical power by means of an anode and cathode. For these proton batteries, the anode used is TABQ because of its ability to hold protons so well, and the cathode is TCBQ. Between them, researchers used water to facilitate the transfer of protons. Water is also a significant benefit over lithium because water will not catch fire easily, unlike the highly flammable lithium salt found in li-ion batteries. Additionally, water effectively aids in the loss and gain of electrons between the two materials, also known as a redox reaction, which ultimately makes the battery work.

Initial tests of the battery are promising. Researchers tested the battery successfully for 3,500 charge cycles, and it featured a number of positive qualities. It has high capacity and is power-dense due to TABQ's capacity and affinity for protons. Protons offer the benefit of moving quickly, which means faster charging times and water use, making the battery much safer than li-ion. Although not currently cheap to synthesize, TABQ ensures that manufacturers can make this battery from organic materials that are abundantly available. Hopefully, such exciting and promising results will speed up the development of this powerful and eco-friendly technology.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 12 > Planet friendly proton batteries join the roster for lithium-ion alternatives
Stephen Pereyra, 2024-12- 5 (Update: 2024-12- 5)