New solid electrolyte battery is competitive with traditional lithium-ion batteries

Ars Technica : Traditional batteries use liquid electrolytes because they are very effective at transporting ions. But the chemicals can be hazardous and have a limited range of operating temperatures. A 2011 paper showed that some solid crystals could effectively transport lithium ions by creating a line of lithium atoms within the crystal structure, but the known materials were either unstable or unreasonably expensive. Now the authors of that paper have identified two more materials that overcome both problems while also doubling the conductivity. The researchers used the new materials to build batteries that had operating temperatures between −30 °C and 100 °C, a much wider range than traditional lithium-ion batteries. They also had a charge/discharge rate competitive with supercapacitors and an energy density competitive with traditional lithium-ion batteries. The researchers still face trouble finding electrodes that can work across the same temperature range.