Progress in alternative battery technology

Zinc batteries are considered promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. (Visualisations: ETH Zurich / Xin Zou) It is not easy to make batteries cheap, efficient, durable, safe and environmentally friendly at the same time. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now succeeded in uniting all of these characteristics in zinc metal batteries. The world needs cheap and powerful batteries that can store sustainably produced electricity from wind or sunlight so that we can use it whenever we need it, even when it's dark outside or there's no wind blowing. Most common batteries that power our smartphones and electric cars are lithium-ion batteries. These are quite expensive because worldwide demand for lithium is soaring, and these batteries are also highly flammable. Water-based Zinc batteries offer a promising alternative to these lithium-ion batteries.