On March 26th, a research team from Vienna University of Technology in Austria announced that a rechargeable oxygen ion battery made of oxide ceramics has a relatively low cost and long service life, which is suitable for occasions requiring large-scale storage of electrical energy.

This type of battery is more environmentally friendly, durable, and nonflammable than the nearly ubiquitous lithium-ion battery currently available.

Oxygen ion batteries do not contain combustible materials, eliminating the risk of fire. The oxygen lost during use can be directly replenished from the air through auxiliary electrodes, allowing for continuous "regeneration" of power storage capacity and achieving an ultra-long service life.

| Oxygen ion batteries may be an excellent solution to replace lithium ions

Before oxygen ions, lithium ion batteries were a new discovery in energy technology. From electric cars to your mobile phone, to high-tech luggage that you can't check on an airplane. They are also very efficient at storing energy, and can load a large amount of electricity into a relatively small battery.

Obviously, although lithium ion batteries have many advantages, their huge disadvantages open up space for innovation in the field of energy storage. A team at the Vienna Institute of Technology in Austria is trying to solve some of these problems with their new inventions.

According to scientists, oxygen ion batteries work in much the same way as lithium ion batteries. "They acquire electric charge by gaining or losing electrons, and the ion atoms jump back and forth between the two surfaces, generating an electric current.". In the case of these new batteries, these surfaces are made of ceramics.

It is reported that this ceramic material can absorb and release double negatively charged oxygen ions. When a voltage is applied, oxygen ions migrate from one ceramic material to another, and then they can migrate back again, generating an electric current.

"The basic principle is actually very similar to that of lithium ion batteries," the researcher said, "but our materials have some important advantages. Ceramics are not flammable, so the frequent fire accidents of lithium ion batteries are almost eliminated. In addition, rare elements are not needed, as they are expensive or can only be extracted in a manner that is harmful to the environment."

"In this regard, the use of ceramic materials is a great advantage because they can adapt well. You can replace rare elements with other relatively easily available elements," they added.

| Oxygen ion batteries can be "regenerated"

In addition to the above advantages, the most important advantage of this new battery technology is actually its potential lifespan. Researchers have pointed out that capacity degradation and loss during battery cycling are inevitable phenomena. Therefore, the capacity of most lithium batteries will decline over time and eventually be scrapped.

However, oxygen ion batteries can be "regenerated": if oxygen is lost due to side reactions, the loss can be simply compensated for by the oxygen in the surrounding air.

However, it is worth noting that this new battery concept is not suitable for smartphones or electric vehicles, as oxygen ion batteries have only about one-third the energy density of lithium ion batteries, and operate at temperatures between 200 and 400 ° C. However, this technology has great prospects for storing energy.

The researcher said, "If you need a large energy storage unit to temporarily store solar or wind energy, oxygen ion batteries may be a good solution. Because our batteries have a long service life, they can produce these materials in large quantities without rare elements, and these batteries have no fire hazards."

This long life is the most exciting thing for researchers because it has brought a huge impact on batteries in the field of green energy. Its power storage capacity can be maintained for a long time without degradation, and has practical value for industrial energy storage, such as storing electrical energy generated by wind power generation. In addition, the battery does not require the use of rare and expensive materials. Currently, the prototype battery manufactured by the research team contains rare earth element lanthanum, which is expected to be replaced with cheaper materials in the future. Relevant research is already underway.