MIT Develops Cobalt-Free Battery Technology

New Organic Material Promises Cheaper, More Sustainable Lithium-Ion Batteries

MIT researchers have designed a new lithium-ion battery material that could offer a more sustainable way to power electric cars. The new battery includes a cathode based on organic materials, instead of cobalt or nickel.
The new material, which could be produced at much lower cost than cobalt-containing batteries, can conduct electricity at similar rates as cobalt batteries and has comparable storage capacity. It can also be charged up faster than cobalt batteries.
The material consists of many layers of TAQ (bis-tetraaminobenzoquinone), an organic small molecule. These layers can extend outward in every direction, forming a structure similar to graphite.
The primary materials needed to manufacture this type of cathode are a quinone precursor and an amine precursor, which are already commercially available and produced in large quantities as commodity chemicals. The researchers estimate that the material cost of assembling these organic batteries could be about one-third to one-half the cost of cobalt batteries.
Lamborghini has licensed the patent on the technology. The researchers plan to continue developing alternative battery materials and are exploring possible replacement of lithium with sodium or magnesium, which are cheaper and more abundant than lithium.