Lithium-air battery breakthrough could improve power for future EVs, aircraft

A research collaboration between Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and carbon specialist Toyo Tanso has achieved a significant breakthrough in lithium-air battery technology, which is crucial for advancing electric vehicles (EVs) and electric aircraft. They developed a novel carbon electrode with a layered porous structure by combining Toyo Tanso’s “CNovel” porous carbon and NIMS’s self-standing carbon membrane fabrication technology. This design enhances ion transport and chemical reactions within the battery, addressing key challenges such as low output, short lifespan, and poor scalability that have hindered lithium-air batteries’ practical use. The team successfully built and tested a prototype 1-Wh-class stacked lithium-air battery with a 4 cm x 4 cm electrode, demonstrating stable cycling for over 150 cycles at a high current density. This electrode design not only improves power output—critical for instant acceleration in EVs and vertical lift in electric aircraft—but also enhances durability and lifespan due to improved carbon crystallinity. Furthermore, the