Aluminium-polymer battery for stationary electricity storage

Technical university TU Bergakademie Freiberg has reported significant progress in the development of an aluminum battery, which is based on materials that are both readily available and recyclable.

Their battery features aluminum as the anode, graphite as cathode, and a polymer-based electrolyte developed at the university. The first prototype will consist of a “stack” with 10 cells and will be able to store around 1 Wh of electricity.

Validation of the prototype for industrial production will be funded by the Saxony state ministry of economic affairs and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), until the end of 2025.

“The aim of the further development is a storage capacity of 10 kWh, which corresponds to the average daily production of a photovoltaic system on the roof of a single-family home,” said Amir Mohammad, research associate at TU Bergakademie Freiberg’s Institute of Experimental Physics.

A 10 kWh capacity would make the aluminum polymer battery suitable for use as a stationary power storage device, especially in private photovoltaic systems.

“The aluminum polymer battery is a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries which my team has been researching intensively for around 10 years and which is now being tested for industrial production and application,” said Dirk C. Meyer, director of the university’s Institute of Experimental Physics and spokesman for the institution’s Center for Efficient High-Temperature Material Conversion.

The Freiberg team is paying particular attention to the electrolyte solution between the anode and cathode and has developed a polymer electrolyte based on an ionic liquid, specifically, a mixture of triethylamine hydrochloride and aluminum chloride, which together with polyamide form a solid network.

According to the researchers, this solid electrolyte has numerous advantages over traditional liquid electrolytes. It cannot leak, is resistant to moisture and oxygen, and reduces corrosion. The new electrolyte also replaces the usual separator layer, making batteries safer and more cost-effective to produce.

As a next step, the research team wants to test the processing of the materials and the production of its aluminum polymer battery in a “roll-to-roll” production facility. The academics expect reliable results for the utilization of their battery prototype by the end of 2025.

From pv magazine Deutschland.