(ORNL: Oak Ridge, TN) -- Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing battery technologies to fight climate change in two ways by expanding the use of renewable energy and capturing airborne carbon dioxide.

This type of battery stores the renewable energy generated by solar panels or wind turbines. Using this energy when wind and sunlight are unavailable requires an electrochemical reaction that, in ORNL’s new battery formulation, captures carbon dioxide from industrial emissions and converts it to value-added products. 

ORNL researchers recently created and tested two different formulations for batteries that convert carbon dioxide gas, or CO₂, into a solid form that has the potential to be used in other products.

One of these new battery types maintained its capacity for 600 hours of use and could store up to 10 hours of electricity. Researchers also identified, studied, and overcame the primary challenge, a deactivation caused by chemical buildup, that had been an obstacle for the other battery formulation.

 …