Finding a non-polluting, eternal battery technology

Energy systems based on this new type of battery can improve long-term energy storage based on a special mechanism .

A team of researchers from Stanford University (USA) believe that humanity can prevent the transformation of renewable energy on the power grid system by creating a liquid battery with long-term storage capacity.

The model of an eternal battery based on clean energy sources is something that humanity has "craved" for millennia (Photo: Getty).

In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the team describes a battery made from liquid organic hydrogen (LOHC) .

The main advantage of this type of battery is that it can store energy and release it efficiently as fuel or electricity at times when it is needed.

To do this, LOHC batteries rely on converting excess energy into relatively simple structures, such as acetone or isopropanol (found in rubbing alcohol), and last for very long periods of time.

This could be the first step towards a permanent battery model - something humanity has "craved" for millennia.

'When there is excess energy, the battery system stores it as isopropanol. When you need the energy, it can be returned as electricity, ' said Professor Robert Waymouth, who led the research. This process could be the key to ending grid instability and energy shortages.

Cobaltocene crystals used as catalysts - the "key" to creating eternal batteries (Photo: Wikipedia).

The secret to LOHC batteries is the use of a cobaltoxide alongside acetone and iridium, a chemical compound related to the metal cobalt, which is quite common and has long been used as a simple and relatively inexpensive reducing agent.

According to the research team, using cobaltocene would act as a direct source of protons and electrons for the iridium catalyst instead of releasing hydrogen gas.

This effort combines a mixture of easily accessible ingredients, aiming to create a method of long-term, near-permanent energy storage that is non-toxic to the environment and living organisms.

"Using basic science to develop new strategies to selectively store electrical energy in liquid fuels is the goal we need to aim for," Professor Waymouth emphasized.

This expert believes that when LOHC-based systems are developed, we can create a turning point in energy storage for industries and clean energy on a global scale.