CeNS Develops Flexible Aqueous Aluminium-Ion Battery in India

An autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, Bengaluru based Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) has developed a flexible aqueous aluminium-ion battery.

• Bengaluru based Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) has developed a flexible aqueous aluminium-ion battery as a safe and sustainable alternative to commonly used lithium-ion batteries in phones, laptops, electric vehicles etc.
• It is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
• This new battery uses aluminium, one of the most abundant metals on Earth, and a water-based solution. This combination makes it safer, cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
• This innovative battery stores energy efficiently and reliably, retaining 96.77% of its power after 150 charge-discharge cycles, limiting battery life in long daily use.

Aluminium-ion battery

• Material used: This battery uses aluminium, the most abundant and environment-friendly metal, with a water-based electrolyte, making it cheap, explosion-free and eco-friendly.
• Components: It has a copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCFe) cathode (positive electrode) preloaded with aluminium ions and a molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) anode (negative electrode).
• Performance: Can continuously power devices even when folded. Made flexible enough to be folded or bent like paper without any performance loss.
• This development places India at the forefront of sustainable and next-generation energy storage solutions in line with global climate and environmental goals.

Challenges:

• Slow diffusion of Al3⁺ ions and potential structural collapse of graphite-like materials limit cycle stability.
• Aluminium anodes suffer from corrosion, which can affect the long life of the battery.

Lithium-ion battery

• It is a rechargeable battery in which lithium ions travel through a non-aqueous electrolyte between a negative electrode (graphite) and a positive electrode (Li transition metal oxide) during charging and discharging.
• It stores more energy in a dense form and provides longer cycles between charges. Unlike old lead-acid batteries, it is lighter and uses less toxic Li and carbon electrodes.