Surprisingly, a method can make water-based batteries last 10 times longer and cost a fortune.

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have just announced an interesting discovery that helps extend the lifespan of water-based batteries, which are considered a safer and more sustainable option than lithium batteries, and are also very inexpensive.

Water-based batteries are now considered a safer and more sustainable option than lithium batteries - Photo: Heno Hwang

A team of scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia (KAUST) has just discovered the key reason why aqueous batteries – which use water as a solvent – ​​rapidly degrade in performance and lifespan: "free water" molecules cause side reactions that damage the anode.

And with just a small amount of inexpensive sulfate salts like zinc sulfate, the research team effectively overcame this problem, making the battery last more than 10 times longer.

According to the research team, "free water" refers to water molecules that are not tightly bound to other ions in the battery. This state makes the water more reactive with the electrode components, leading to energy loss and material corrosion.

When sulfate salts are added, the sulfate ions act as "water molecule glue," causing water to be held more tightly within the molecular structure, thereby significantly reducing harmful side effects.

Professor Husam Alshareef, lead researcher and director of the CREST Centre for Renewable Energy and Storage Technology at KAUST, said: "This finding shows that water structure plays a key role in battery chemistry, but this has previously been overlooked."

Although most experiments used zinc sulfate, preliminary results suggest that the "hydrogen colloid" effect of sulfate ions also applies to many other types of metal anodes. This opens up the possibility of developing a universal, simple, and effective solution to improve the lifespan of the entire range of aqueous batteries.

Researcher Yunpei Zhu, who directly conducted most of the experiments, shared: "Sulfate salts are inexpensive, readily available, and chemically stable, making our solution feasible both scientifically and economically ."

Water-based batteries are now considered a safer and more sustainable option than lithium batteries for large-scale renewable energy storage systems, such as grid-tied solar power storage. The global water-based battery market is projected to exceed $10 billion by 2030.

The research was published in the journal Science Advances, with contributions from Professors Omar Mohammed, Omar Bakr, Xixiang Zhang, and Mani Sarathy from KAUST.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bat-ngo-cach-giup-pin-nuoc-ben-gap-10-lan-gia-re-beo-20250731095443709.htm