Batteries are essential in both portable video and audio production, as well as in portable computers, mobile phones and electric vehicles. Many battery materials, however, include heavy metals such as nickel and cobalt and pose significant environmental and humanitarian risks. Cobalt in particular, which is largely available in central Africa, has come under fire for careless and exploitative extraction practices.

Using three new and different proprietary materials, which have never before been combined in a battery, IBM Research’s Battery Lab reports that it has discovered a chemistry for a new battery which does not use heavy metals or other substances with sourcing concerns.

The materials for this battery are able to be extracted from seawater, laying the groundwork for less invasive sourcing techniques than current material mining methods.

In initial tests, the new technology proved it can be optimized to surpass the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries. This means lower costs, faster charging time, higher power and energy density, strong energy efficiency and low flammability.

This design uses a cobalt and nickel-free cathode material, as well as a safe liquid electrolyte with a high flash point. The combination of the cathode and electrolyte demonstrated an ability to suppress lithium metal dendrites during charging, thus reducing flammability. This is widely considered a significant drawback for the use of lithium metal as an anode material.

Current tests show that less than five minutes are required for the battery – configured for high power – to reach an 80 percent state of charge. Combined with the relatively low cost of sourcing the materials, the goal of a fast-charging, low-cost batteries could become a reality.

When optimized for this factor, this new battery design has a long life cycle and outperforms the most powerful lithium-ion batteries available. The active cathode materials tend to cost less because they are free of cobalt, nickel and other heavy metals. It takes less than five minutes to reach an 80 percent state of charge, without compromising specific discharge capacity.

To move this new battery from early stage exploratory research into commercial development, IBM Research has joined with Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America, Central Glass, a major battery electrolyte supplier, and Sidus, a battery manufacturer, to create a new next-generation battery development ecosystem.

Moving forward, the IBM team has also implemented an artificial intelligence (AI) technique called semantic enrichment to further improve battery performance by identifying safer and higher performance materials. Using machine learning techniques, it offers human researchers access to insights from millions of data points.