Liquid Metal Battery

A liquid metal battery is a rechargeable battery whose two electrodes and electrolyte are all kept in a molten state at high operating temperature, so that they separate into distinct layers by density and by their immiscibility with one another rather than forming a fixed solid structure. The concept was developed chiefly by MIT professor Donald Sadoway and his research group, who proposed a magnesium and antimony cell separated by a molten salt electrolyte in 2009 and later demonstrated versions using a lithium anode and a lead-antimony cathode operating between about 350 and 430 degrees Celsius. Because the liquid electrodes reform on every charge and discharge cycle instead of degrading the way solid electrode structures do in conventional batteries, the design targets long lifespans for stationary grid storage rather than portable use. A demonstrated prototype retained about 85 percent of its original capacity after ten years of regular cycling, and the technology is intended to help balance intermittent solar and wind generation on the electric grid.