Breakthrough in Battery Technology

Pembroke Fellow Professor Clare Grey, of the University’s Department of Chemistry, is the senior author of a new paper heralding an important breakthrough in battery development.

The lithium-oxygen battery is the world’s most energy-efficient battery to date. The technology provides a possible alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which are currently used in most smartphones and laptops. It could also enable electric cars to match the range of petrol and diesel models.

Although real-world applications of the technology are likely to be a decade or so away, Professor Grey has described the breakthrough as “a significant advance for this technology”. The lithium-air battery solves many of the problems which previously stood in the way of battery-powered technology, and opens up exciting new areas of research.