Oxygen-ion battery

2023: Product Creation

On March 21, 2023, Austrian researchers from the Technical University of Vienna announced the creation of the world's first oxygen-ion battery. The proposed solution is said to have several advantages over traditional lithium-ion batteries.

Scientists say lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous - from electric vehicles to smartphones. But that doesn't mean they are the best solution for all applications. For example, such elements can ignite, and their ignition is poorly extinguished by conventional means. In addition, these power supplies degrade over time.

Oxygen-ion battery developers from Vienna Technical University

The oxygen-ion battery, developed by Austrian specialists, does not provide the same high energy storage density as lithium-ion batteries. However, the new element has an extremely high durability: it can regenerate, increasing the service life. In addition, such a solution does not require the use of expensive rare earth materials and does not ignite. Thanks to this, oxygen-ion batteries can be an optimal solution for large-scale energy storage systems, for example, for storing energy from renewable sources.

The product is based on ceramic materials. At the same time, very high operating temperatures are required - from 200 to 400 degrees Celsius. Under the influence of voltage, oxygen ions move from one ceramic material to another, and then pass back, as a result of which an electric current is created. If oxygen in such an element is lost due to side reactions, then this problem can be solved by adding oxygen from the surrounding air: this ensures a very long life. The use of ceramics almost completely eliminates the possibility of fires.^[1]

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