Tungsten Oxide

As the lithium-ion batteries that power most phones, laptops, and electric vehicles become increasingly fast-charging and high-performing, they also grow increasingly expensive and flammable. In research published recently in Energy Storage Materials, a team of engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute demonstrated how they could — by using aqueous electrolytes instead of the typical organic electrolytes — assemble a substantially safer, cost-efficient battery that still performs well. If you were to take a look inside a battery, you’d find two electrodes — an anode and a cathode. These electrodes are immersed in a liquid electrolyte that conducts ions as the battery charges and discharges. Aqueous electrolytes have been eyed for that role because of their non-flammable nature and because, unlike non-aqueous electrolytes, they aren’t sensitive to moisture in the manufacturing process, making them easier to work with and less expensive. The biggest challenge with th...