Progress made in lithium–air battery development

Ecologist : To power electric cars, researchers have been working to improve lithium–ion batteries, which could be one-fifth as heavy and cost one-fifth as much as current lithium batteries and could attain an energy density comparable to that of gasoline. Now a research group at Cambridge University has announced a breakthrough in battery design that overcomes some of the obstacles encountered in earlier versions. By using a reduced graphene oxide electrode, adding lithium iodide, and changing the chemical makeup of the electrolyte, Clare Grey and colleagues say they have reduced the voltage gap between charge and discharge and thus made the battery more efficient. However, some challenges remain, and the researchers expect that it will be another decade before a practical lithium–air battery is ready for commercial use.