All-Liquid Battery Could Make Alternative Energy More Attractive

Sep-24-14 An all-liquid battery able to store the energy generated from solar power and wind farms could provide a cheaper and more efficient way to ensure a steady supply of power from alternative sources.

Most batteries used today to store solar energy are solid, which can become very expensive when scaled up. In response, a team from MIT has been working to create an all-liquid battery, which they believe will last longer and would be easier to manufacture.

Their most recent version consists of two layers of molten metal separated by an electrolyte of molten salt, all of which separate naturally to form three different layers, "like oil floating on water." The team improved on the older version by replacing the magnesium-based electrode with one made of a mixture of lead and antimony (the other electrode is made of lithium), which allows the battery to operate at much lower temperatures. In tests, the new battery was able to maintain 85 percent of its original efficiency even after ten years of daily charging and discharging.

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[POPSCI.COM]
[NEWSOFFICE.MIT.EDU]

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