Scientists Make Wood-Based Batteries, Claimed To Be Safer Than Lithium-ion

Wood-based batteries are claimed to be safer. (photo: doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Scientists at Brown University, United States (US) have discovered a new basic material breakthrough, namely wood, to make a battery. The wood can be used for future generations of batteries.

Materials derived from the tree will later be used in solid-state batteries, which are claimed to be safer and less damaging to the environment, compared to batteries currently circulating in various mobile devices and PCs.

For example, lithium-ion batteries are usually used in cell phones, computers, and electronic vehicles. This type of battery uses a volatile liquid as the electrolyte. This electrolyte conducts lithium-ion between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery.

Liquid electrolytes do this job well, but they are toxic and can be dangerous. If the battery is shorted, the liquid can burn and the battery will catch fire too. This is usually not a problem in everyday use, but some batteries that were manufactured incorrectly were eventually recalled from the market.

To make batteries safer, scientists developed solid-state batteries, in which a solid material is used as the electrolyte. Solid and non-combustible materials will be safer to use and have the potential to reduce environmental damage to produce.

Most current research on solid electrolytes uses ceramics, which can conduct ions very well but are brittle and easily crack or break. Meanwhile, scientists have developed a material for use as a solid electrolyte consisting of a combination of copper tubes and a polymer derived from wood and called cellulose nanofibrils.

The polymer material the scientists have developed is very thin and flexible, like a sheet of paper, which makes it easier to use in manufacturing. However, its ionic conductivity is as good as thicker and more brittle materials such as ceramics.

"Lithium ions move in these organic solid electrolytes through mechanisms we typically find in inorganic ceramics, enabling record high ionic conductivity," said Que Yi, co-author and professor at Brown's School of Engineering. October 25.

Yi added, using materials provided by nature will reduce the overall impact of manufacturing batteries on our environment. The scientists hope the research, published in the journal Nature, will help make solid-state batteries generally available for increased safety in consumer electronics.