A Japanese research team has developed a new type of lithium-ion battery that uses water instead of flammable organic solvent materials and nano-scale molybdenum-based oxides as the negative electrode. This kind of battery is safer and there is no need to worry about fire accidents, and it can be charged quickly.
The electrolyte of lithium-ion batteries used in mobile phones and electric cars uses flammable organic solvents, so there is a risk of fire. People are trying to find a safer electrolyte material.
Research teams from Japan’s Yokohama National University and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. use water as an electrolyte and are looking for electrode materials that do not reduce battery performance. Researchers found that using nano-scale molybdenum oxide as the negative electrode of the battery, the battery performance can reach a practical level.
Because this kind of battery has no risk of fire and can be charged quickly, even if it is repeatedly charged and discharged 2000 times, the battery capacity is only reduced by less than 30%, so it is expected to be used in energy storage batteries or short-distance electric vehicles. The goal of the research team is to make this new type of battery practical in 3 years.