New materials for low- cost batteries developed

London: Scientists have developed novel materials that could help develop sustainable and low- cost aluminium batteries. The first is a corrosionresistant material for the conductive parts of the battery; the second is a novel material for the battery’s positive pole that can be adapted to a wide range of technical requirements, said scientists from ETH Zurich in Switzerland. The energy transition depends on technologies that allow the inexpensive temporary storage of electricity from renewable sources. A promising new candidate is aluminium batteries, which are made from cheap and abundant raw materials. As the electrolyte fluid in aluminium batteries is extremely aggressive and corrodes stainless steel, and even gold and platinum, scientists are searching for corrosionresistant materials for the conductive parts of these batteries. Researchers have found what they are looking for in titanium nitride, a ceramic material that exhibits sufficiently high conductivity. “This compound is made up of the highly abundant elements titanium and nitrogen, and it's easy to manufacture,” said Maksym Kovalenko, a professor at ETH Zurich. The scientists have successfully developed aluminium batteries with conductive parts made of titanium nitride in the laboratory. The material can easily be produced in the form of thin films, also as a coating over other materials such as polymer foils. Kovalenko believes it would also be possible to manufacture the conductors from a conventional metal. “The potential applications of titanium nitride are not limited to aluminium batteries. The material could also be used in other types of batteries.— PTI