With an intrinsic dendrite-free feature, high rate capability, facile cell fabrication and use of earth-abundance materials, liquid metal batteries (LMBs) are regarded as a promising solution to grid-scale stationary energy storage.
Batteries containing at least one liquid metal electrode can be termed as liquid metal batteries (LMBs).
Liquid metal battery (LMB) storage offers large cost reductions and recent technology developments indicate it may be viable for MW-scale storage. Accordingly, we investigate co-locating and integrating LMB and Li-ion storage within the substructure of an offshore wind turbine.
Now, however, a liquid-metal battery scheduled for a real-world deployment in 2024 could lower energy storage costs considerably. Donald Sadoway, a material chemist and professor emeritus at MIT, has kept affordability foremost on his mind for his many battery inventions over the years, including a recent aluminum-sulfur battery.
Ambri’s liquid-metal battery consists of three liquid layers stacked together based on density. The densest, a molten antimony cathode, is on the bottom, the light calcium alloy anode is on top, and the intermediate-density calcium chloride salt electrolyte sits in the middle.
However, the barrier to widespread adoption of batteries is their high cost. Here we describe a lithium–antimony–lead liquid metal battery that potentially meets the performance specifications for stationary energy storage applications.