It does not have as high an energy density as Li-ion batteries, but it does have numerous advantages, especially for one important application: large energy storage systems (ESSs) such as renewable energy sources, power grids, microgrids and more.
The innovative battery concept has already led to a patent application, filed in collaboration with partners in Spain. These oxygen-ion batteries could provide an outstanding solution for large-scale energy storage systems, such as those required to hold electrical energy from renewable sources.
Can oxygen-ion batteries be regenerated?
Researchers at TU Wien have made a breakthrough by creating an oxygen-ion battery that offers several significant advantages. While it may not match the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, its storage capacity doesn't diminish irreversibly over time, making it capable of an exceptionally long lifespan as it can be regenerated.
What is oxygen-ion battery (OIB)?
Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology have discovered an interesting new battery technology: the oxygen-ion battery (OIB) based on ceramic materials. Its most attractive feature is an ability to regenerate itself with ambient oxygen, which provides the potential for an extremely long service life.
Now researchers in Austria have added an unusual contender to the mix: oxygen. The team has made a new oxygen-ion battery that can store about a third of the energy by weight compared to lithium ion but could have a much longer life-spans. It also uses abundant materials, and its use of a solid electrolyte means it is nonflammable.
Ceramic is the key to the new oxygen-ion batteries. The Vienna University of Technology researchers developed ceramic materials that can absorb and release doubly negatively charged oxygen ions, so the oxygen ions can migrate from one to another ceramic material.
How do oxygen ion batteries work?
When the oxygen ions flow back, the device generates an electric current. Tests done on full cells of the oxygen-ion batteries showed volumetric energy densities of up to 140 milliwatt-hours per cubic centimeter, which corresponds to about 30 percent of the volumetric energy density of today's lithium-ion batteries.