Collections
Energy storage and batteries
In this collection, we explore energy storage and battery research, covering innovative battery chemistries, materials design, device fabrication techniques, solutions to transition to clean energy, and applications including electric vehicles, grid-scale energy storage, and portable electronics.
Building better batteries
The next generation of battery technologies might pack significantly more power into the electric cars and mobile devices of the future. James Mitchell Crow reports
The lithium rush
Move over, gold; lithium is now the metal in global demand. Kit Chapman untangles the global politics around the sought-after resource
The long-term energy storage challenge
In a renewably powered future, how will the grid cope when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing? Rachel Brazil looks at the options
The elements of energy storage
Chemistry is a key component of clean energy
Battery recyclers race to increase capacity and efficiency
As battery demand grows, recycling needs to capture more of the valuable resources in each cell
ResearchSunlight-powered device harvests lithium from salty water
Low-energy device is a ‘step forward’ for sustainable lithium mining
ResearchWater-splitting reaction reversal could extract lithium more sustainably and cheaply
Environmentally-friendly electrochemistry could cut extraction costs by 40%
ResearchSupramolecular crystals show promise for hydrogen storage
Porous catenated network is light weight and stores high volumes of hydrogen
ResearchThe world’s tiniest batteries could power robots the size of cells
Zinc–air microbattery packs the biggest punch yet for a power source with a volume of just two picolitres
BusinessElectrification of process heat stands to slash industry’s emissions
Technologies available now can decarbonise most heat demand, but cost and infrastructure barriers still exist
OpinionCan supercapacitors be the next energy superheroes?
Offering complementary properties to batteries, their time might be round the corner
FeatureFast charging supercapacitors
Rapid development of the alternative energy storage technology to rechargeable batteries is already having real world impact. James Mitchell Crow talks to the scientists working on upping their performance
ResearchPFAS from rechargeable batteries pose environmental threat
Electrolyte material used in lithium-ion batteries is highly mobile and potentially toxic
ResearchZinc–air batteries created from paper industry waste
Lignin- and cellulose-based zinc-air batteries overcome longstanding electrocatalyst performance and electrolyte stability challenges
NewsWorld’s largest sodium–ion battery goes live
Energy storage project in China’s Hubei province can meet daily electricity needs of 12,000 households
BusinessExplosion and fire at South Korean battery plant kills 23
Three company officials under investigation for potential safety violations
ResearchIodide addition could make high energy lithium-sulfur batteries commercially viable
Next generation batteries given self-healing properties and vastly improved electronic conductivity by sulfur iodide inclusion
ResearchClever cathode design opens doors to first rechargeable calcium battery
Rejigging redox chemistry overcomes some limitations of calcium batteries but they remain a long way from the market
ArticleMicrosoft’s AI and high-performance computing system powers new battery discovery
Azure Quantum Elements platform speeds up discovery of solid-state electrolyte from decades to weeks
BusinessNorthvolt to bring sodium-ion batteries to European market
Swedish firm highlights cells’ cheap and sustainable materials for energy storage
WhitepaperThe science of battery electrolyte design
Download this free white paper now to discover how to quantify key aspects of electrolyte safety and performance, and optimize designs with cutting-edge technology
ResearchPeeking inside lithium-ion batteries offers new ways to put a stop to deadly fires
Understanding why batteries overheat could make them safer
BusinessRapid-charging batteries with magnetic assistance
UK spin-out Gaussion aims to charge electric vehicles in minutes
WebinarBattery material changes in real-time: silicon anode structural evaluation via isothermal microcalorimetry
Learn about battery material changes and how to accelerate battery development using cutting-edge in-operando isothermal microcalorimetry
NewsLarge-scale hydrogen storage must be kick-started now to reach net zero
Royal Society calls for action to solve problem of intermittent renewables with huge expansion in energy storage
ResearchLithium discovery in US volcano could be biggest deposit ever found
Find could point to new ways to prospect for material in high demand for batteries.
ResearchPhotoactivated cycloaddition can store solar energy for decades in strained molecules
A reversible cycloaddition triggered with visible light offers new opportunities for solid-state energy storage
ResearchSupercapacitor cement could supercharge renewable energy storage
Addition of carbon black is all that’s needed to allow cement to hold charge