Scientists from the US have invented a new type of battery. The so-called ‘molten air batteries’ have among the highest electrical storage capacities of all battery types to date.
Inexpensive batteries with better energy storage densities are needed for many applications. For example, one barrier to the large-scale adoption of electric cars is the limited distance they can travel before their battery needs recharging.
Stuart Licht and his group at George Washington University think their molten air batteries could be the answer. They made three different versions of the battery using iron, carbon or vanadium boride as the molten electrolyte. Just like metal–air batteries, molten air batteries use oxygen from the air as the cathode material instead of an internal oxidiser, which makes them light. . . .
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/10/molten-air-new-class-battery
