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MIT Reveals Breakthrough Lithium-Air Research

Original Source: http://www.sustainablelifemedia.com
Author: Thomas Miner
Original Publication Date: April 27, 2010

April 27, 2010 – Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developing lithium-air batteries, a technology which could provide stronger and lighter batteries than the current preferred technology lithium-ion, have made a breakthrough which could help bring these batteries to commercial viability.

While the research shows that there are distinct advantages of lithium-air batteries over its competitors, unanswered questions about electrode and catalyst materials have been holding the technology back. To break through this barrier, researchers have, for the first time, devised a new technique for analyzing catalyst activity within the batteries. MIT believes that this will result in the understanding of the physical properties associated with the catalyst behavior and eventually lead to researchers being able to predict this behavior.

Essentially, lithium-air batteries work on the same principles as lithium-ion batteries but have the ability to utilize lightweight material, such as carbon, for many of the components which are made from heavy metals in traditional batteries. This dramatically reduces the battery weight and results in a much higher energy density as well, making this technology very attractive for electronics manufacturers as well electric vehicle applications.

As more and more electric products are developed that use massive amounts of energy but require shorter and shorter charging times (think electric vehicles), battery technology has been a bottleneck in many applications. Many organizations have been working to progress battery capabilities in recent years, and last year MIT unveiled an innovative battery where engineered viruses take the place of battery electrodes and cathodes. Nissan also announced that they had developed a battery which would allow their new electric vehicles to travel twice the distance as would a standard lithium-ion battery.

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