According to foreign media reports, a research team led by Professor Pan Feng of the School of Advanced Materials at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate Schoo revealed the key mechanism of proton storage and transport in aqueous batteries.
Image source: Journal
《Matter》
This research provides important insights that promise the development of safer, faster charging, and higher-capacity lithium-ion battery alternatives. The study, titled “Storage and Transport of Protons in Aqueous Batteries,” reveals how hydrogen bonding network engineering enables efficient proton storage and transport.
Aqueous batteries that use water-based electrolytes are inherently safer than lithium-ion batteries but have traditionally had lower energy density. Protons have great promise due to their light mass and high mobility, but their complex chemical properties limit their practical applications.
Pan’s team proved that protons move through a Grotthuss-like mechanism, jumping between hydrogen bonds rather than diffusing like metal ions. This enables ultra-fast, “diffusion-free” transport and makes protons ideal charge carriers for high-performance aqueous batteries.