A team of two dozen Chinese scientists has identified calcium as a potential breakthrough battery material to help power wearable electronic devices, at least as a starting point.
Could a calcium-based battery be a viable alternative to lithium?
With calcium 2,500 times more abundant than lithium, battery offers viable option with possibly comparable energy density, team says in Nature paper Chinese scientists say they have developed a rechargeable calcium-based battery that could offer a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to lithium technology.
Can calcium batteries replace lithium ion batteries?
Calcium batteries are one of many candidates to replace lithium-ion battery technology. It is a multivalent battery. Key advantages are lower cost, earth abundance (41,500 ppm), higher energy density, high capacity and high cell voltage, and potentially higher power density.
Scientists first toyed with calcium-based batteries in the 1960s. But they worked only at high temperatures and fizzled out after just a handful of charge cycles. “It's very difficult to get calcium to do the things that lithium does,” says Ian D. Hosein, a chemical engineer at Syracuse University.
Is calcium a good replacement for a rechargeable battery?
The current standard for rechargeable batteries used in consumer products is lithium. But because it is a rare material and has issues such as poor aging and the need to prevent overcharge, scientists have been looking for a suitable replacement. One such material is calcium, which is 2,500 times as abundant as lithium.
Could a calcium battery be a future energy source?
A paper about the research by a team of scientists from Fudan University in Shanghai was published on the website of the United Kingdom-based journal Nature on Feb 7. The abundance of calcium means the battery system has broad prospects in future energy applications, the researchers said.
Can calcium-based batteries be used in consumer products?
In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes the challenges they addressed in developing the battery and what they have learned about the possible use of calcium-based batteries in consumer products in the future. The current standard for rechargeable batteries used in consumer products is lithium.