A paper by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) authored by Donald Sadoway along with 15 others from universities all around the world claims to have found a cheap solution to lithium-ion batteries.
“I wanted to invent something that was better, much better, than lithium-ion batteries for small-scale stationary storage, and ultimately for automotive [uses],” Sadoway admitted.
Sadoway posits replacing aluminium with lithium-ion as it is the second most commercially available material and the most abundant one on the earth. He also wants to use the cheapest non-metal sulphur as the battery’s other electrode. Sadoway also uses molten salt electrolytes.
This combination has cost efficiencies and these materials can be procured quite easily. “The ingredients are cheap, and the thing is safe—it cannot burn,” proclaimed Sadoway.
He also showed that this solution charged 25 times faster at 110 degrees and the battery discharged heat both during the charging and discharging period. This helps with maintaining optimal temperature while keeping the salt solution from freezing.
This molten salt solution also dissolves accumulative metal dendrites which can span the two electrodes over time and cause shortages. That being said this cheap and fast-charging battery may not make its way to vehicles immediately.
Sadoway has already licensed some of his patents to a newly founded company called Avanti which he has helped co=found.
“The first order of business for the company is to demonstrate that it works at scale,” Sadoway revealed.
