Researchers from City University of Hong Kong and Southern University of Science and Technology have developed a new water-based battery technology designed to deliver ultra-long operational life while improving safety and sustainability for future energy storage applications.
According to research published in the journal Nature Communications, the battery uses a neutral pH aqueous electrolyte combined with specially engineered organic polymer materials that enable significantly improved durability compared to conventional aqueous battery systems. Researchers reported that the prototype battery successfully achieved up to 120,000 charge-discharge cycles while maintaining stable performance.
The development addresses one of the longstanding limitations of water-based batteries. Although aqueous batteries are generally considered safer and less flammable than lithium-ion systems, their adoption has been restricted by lower energy density and rapid material degradation caused by highly acidic or alkaline electrolytes.
To overcome this challenge, the research team developed a neutral electrolyte system with a pH of 7, reducing corrosion and improving long-term chemical stability inside the battery. The design also incorporates a specialized compound known as hexaketone tetraaminodibenzo-p-dioxin, featuring a rigid honeycomb-like molecular structure that helps maintain structural integrity over extended operating periods.
Researchers stated that the battery chemistry was designed for magnesium and calcium ion storage rather than conventional lithium-based systems. The use of water-based electrolytes and non-toxic materials could offer additional environmental and operational safety advantages for large-scale energy storage applications.
The breakthrough could have important implications for renewable energy infrastructure, particularly grid-scale battery storage systems that require long operational life, low maintenance and improved fire safety. Long-duration and highly durable storage technologies are becoming increasingly important as utilities integrate larger shares of solar and wind energy into electricity networks.
According to the researchers, the battery’s extremely high cycle life could potentially support decades of continuous grid-storage operation under normal usage conditions, significantly improving storage economics over time.
The findings were detailed in the Nature Communications paper titled “An aqueous battery using an electrolyte with a pH of 7 and suitable for direct environmental discard,” published by the international research team earlier this year.
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