China-U.S. joint team discovers new green battery catalyst

A China-U.S. joint research team has found a new catalyst to make magnesium-air battery, a green energy source, cheaper and last longer.

The team, led by Wang Weichao at Nankai University, China, and Yao Yan at Houston University, America, found that manganese-based mullite, a component of porcelain, can serve as a new catalyst for producing electricity in metal-air batteries.

The substance, used in metal-air batteries for the first time, is more available and stable compared with traditional catalysts, according to the researchers.

Their findings were published on academic magazine Nano Energy's website, late last month.

Metal-air batteries create electricity through a reaction (ORR) between metal and oxygen, both of which are abundant. It is the catalyst used in ORR that limits metal-air battery development and its application in electric cars.

Traditional ORR catalysts are either too expensive or too complicated to produce. "Platinum, a commonly used catalyst, costs 200 yuan (30 U.S. dollars) per gram. But for mullite, it is affordable, even by the tonne," Yao said.

"Mullite is also more stable, so it can be used repeatedly, meaning the battery will last longer. We expect more applications of this material in electrochemistry," Yao said. Endi