From UNHInnovation: Xiaowei Teng is a professor and chair of chemical engineering at UNH. His research focuses on aqueous electrochemical energy storage devices that use a water-based electrolyte, which is less likely to burn if exposed to air or moisture.
Teng recorded a good video talking about it here. It includes one insight I hadn’t considered: Longevity of batteries is less important for cars, which people sell after a while, than it is in batteries for home power storage – on the other hand, small size is less important for home batteries.
From the UNHInnovation:
Rechargeable aqueous batteries, especially ones using earth-abundant and less toxic materials, have shown great promise, particularly for renewable energy storage because of their high safety, low cost and environmental friendliness. While aqueous batteries have many advantages, the use of a water-based electrolyte provides some challenges in achieving adequate energy capacity retention and power performance (time required to charge and discharge the devices) as well as scalability in production. Teng and his teams have developed several novel methods for the preparation of electrode materials that will help overcome these challenges.
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