LSU Engineering Professor Designs Non-Metal Battery To Replace Lithium Battery

Baton Rouge, LA – Louisiana State University (LSU) announced that Mechanical Engineering (ME) Associate Professor Ying Wang is using a Board of Regents grant to design a non-metal rechargeable battery that could one day replace lithium batteries on Earth and in space.

“Lithium-ion batteries have good performance but several serious issues,” Wang said. “It’s not sustainable and is very expensive, and the U.S. does not have deep reserves for lithium. Also, if you are extracting lithium from mines, you are using a tremendous amount of water, which has a severe impact on the environment.”

Wang and her group of LSU ME students have been working on a non-metal battery with a water-based electrolyte that is safer than an electrolyte in a lithium battery, which uses flammable and toxic organic solvents.

“Lithium is not a stable metal, and the organic electrolyte in a lithium-ion battery could be flammable,” Wang said. “There have been lithium battery explosions in the news. This is a recurring problem because when lithium batteries fail or overheat, they release flammable, toxic gases that can spark a fast-spreading fire. My group is designing an ammonium-ion battery that is much safer, lighter, more affordable, and can be biodegradable. It can also be made thin and flexible, so it can twist and bend.”