Australia's Flinders University has a battery that's ready to elbow its way into the growing pack of contenders challenging lithium-ion chemistry dominance.
At issue are high costs and what a Flinders lab summary calls "fast-depleting reserves" of the expensive metals needed for the common batteries powering our electric vehicles and other devices. Lithium, cobalt, and graphite are among the elements often subject to foreign supply chain woes.
The Aussie's aqueous zinc-ion battery is being billed as a replacement that costs less, is less toxic, is highly safe, and uses an element in zinc that is 10 times more abundant on Earth than lithium, all per the lab report.
"Aqueous zinc-ion batteries could have real-world applications," Flinders associate professor Zhongfan Jia said in the story.
The batteries use zinc as an anode material. For the cathode, the team used a nitroxide radical polymer. When batteries operate, ions move between the two electrodes through a substance called electrolyte.
Jia said in the summary that the cathode is "made from cheap commercial polymer." His team "optimized the battery performance using low-cost additives."
Those are all metrics that are needed as we transition to a cleaner, electrified future. Almost one-fifth of the vehicles sold worldwide in 2023 were EVs, according to the International Energy Agency.
What's more, New York market research firm McKinsey & Company reported that the lithium-ion industry, including recycling, has the potential to grow by more than 30% each year through 2030. If that forecast holds up, the market value would be more than $400 billion, per the report.
It's a demand that could soon strain the supply chain, according to an expert interviewed by CNBC.
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"In the next couple of years, though the lithium supply may stay adequate at a world level, regional supply imbalance is still inevitable," Rystad Energy vice president Susan Zou said in the story. Rystad is an energy research firm based in Norway.
Flinders experts see the power pack, shortened as AZIB, as capable of carving a chunk out of the market share.
But the team has some work to complete before AZIB-powered cars are cruising the turnpike. A pouch-cell prototype the experts made is capable of powering a small fan and a model car, per Flinders.
But the new cathode holds promise, producing "the highest mass loading so far" for the packs they are working on, Jia said in the summary.
Potassium, sodium, and other elements are also vying for space in the race for better battery chemistry. Top brands, including Samsung and General Motors, are active in the market.
It's also important to note that while common lithium-ion batteries require invasive, expensive processes to make, they remain a reliable pack, powering overall cleaner rides and providing crucial energy storage.
And switching to an EV is becoming more affordable than ever, thanks in part to the constant flow of battery innovations and valuable tax breaks worth up to $7,500. Yearly savings of about $1,500 on gas and maintenance costs provide annual pocketbook perks, as well.
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