Saturday, November 17, 2012

No. 649: Successful development of a solid magnesium battery on trial (November 17, 2012)

Technology:
A research team of Toyota Central R and D Labs succeeded in building a solid magnesium battery on trial. The research team developed a solid electrolyte that conducts magnesium ion. Although it only confirmed that the trial product can discharge electricity, it theoretically opened up the road to a new battery that has more than five times higher energy density than the existing lithium-ion battery. The trial battery employs metallic magnesium for the negative electrode, sulfur for the positive electrode, and self-developed inorganic solid materials for the electrolyte. The operation temperature is between 100 and 150 degrees centigrade. Although it is still unknown whether the new battery can get recharged, the research members confirmed that a solid magnesium battery works as a battery for the first time. 

The newly developed solid electrolyte is a chemical compound made of magnesium, boron, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Its electric conductivity is 1 microsiemens per centimeter at 150 degrees centigrade. The solid electrolyte with the highest electric conductivity at present has an electric conductivity of about 10 microsiemens per centimeter at 500 degrees centigrade. A solid magnesium battery has a five times higher theoretical volume energy density than the existing lithium-ion battery at 2,500 watt-hour. 

 
Magnesium batteries 

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