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Chinese researchers have built a new type of battery that may solve one of the biggest challenges in clean energy: how to store hydrogen easily and efficiently.

The team, led by scientists from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed the first prototype of a gas-solid hydride ion battery. Their findings were published in the journal Joule.

Instead of using lithium or other common materials, the new battery runs on hydride ions - hydrogen ions with extra electrons. These ions are highly energetic but very unstable under normal conditions. For years, scientists struggled to use them directly in batteries.

The research team has been working on this challenge since 2018. They first developed a new material in 2023 that allows hydride ions to move steadily at low temperatures. Two years later, they built the first all-solid-state hydride ion battery. Now, they have taken another big step forward.

Their new battery uses magnesium metal and hydrogen gas as its two electrodes. When the battery releases power, hydrogen gas turns into hydride ions, while the metal becomes a metal hydride. When the battery is charged, the process reverses, and the hydrogen can be released again. This means the battery stores both electricity and hydrogen at the same time.

According to the study, the battery can work in temperatures ranging from minus 20 to 90 degrees Celsius. Its initial discharge capacity reached 1,526 milliamp-hours per gram. It also maintained over 70 percent of its capacity after 60 charge-discharge cycles. The team stacked ten small batteries together to form a larger battery pack. The pack produced more than 2.4 volts and successfully lit an LED bulb.

"The new battery achieved 93.9 percent energy efficiency, which is one-third higher than traditional thermal hydrogen storage methods," said Chen Ping, a researcher at DICP.

Unlike conventional storage that requires extreme conditions - either extremely high pressure or extremely low temperatures - this new battery works at room temperature and normal pressure. It stores hydrogen in the form of a solid metal hydride while the battery is being charged or discharged, eliminating the need for expensive high-pressure tanks or cryogenic cooling, Chen added.

The research team has said that they will continue efforts to improve the battery's performance and develop superior materials.

by Xinhua