IBM Corp.’s research arm today detailed its work on a new battery design that doesn’t require any heavy metals to build and could potentially be more efficient than today’s lithium-ion technology.

Virtually all rechargeable electronic systems from smartphones to Tesla Inc. cars store their energy on lithium-ion batteries, which use cobalt and nickel to power their internal chemical processes.

But the price of the metals has skyrocketed in recent years due to rising demand from companies such as electric vehicle makers. Their extraction, meanwhile, is exacting a serious human and environmental toll in the countries where mining is taking place. 

IBM’s new battery technology is based on three undisclosed proprietary materials that the company said can be produced from seawater. The design “does not use heavy metals or other substances with sourcing concerns,” Young-hye Na, a manager with IBM Research’s materials innovation group, wrote in a blog post. She added the discovery lays the “groundwork for less invasive sourcing techniques than current material mining methods.” 

The battery may even beat today’s lithium-ion cells in performance. IBM said that the three proprietary materials underpinning the design are less flammable, can theoretically be cheaper thanks to the abundance of seawater and might provide better power density. 

Initial tests conducted by IBM researchers have shown that it takes less than five minutes to charge the battery to 80% in an implementation “configured for high power.” On the top end, the theoretical maximum power density of the technology exceeds that of lithium-ion products.

“When optimized for this factor, this new battery design exceeds more than 10,000 W/L, outperforming the most powerful lithium-ion batteries available,” IBM’s Young-hye Na detailed. “Additionally, our tests have shown this battery can be designed for a long-life cycle, making it an option for smart power grid applications and new energy infrastructures where longevity and stability is key.”

If IBM manages to develop a market-ready implementation, the technology’s combination of longevity and lower flammability might make it an attractive choice for electric vehicles as well. The company is apparently already looking in that direction. IBM said today that it’s teaming up with the research arm of Mercedes-Benz, electric parts supplier Central Glass Co. Ltd. and battery manufacturer Sidus to develop a commercial version.

IBM Research Vice President Jeff Welser told Reuters that the goal is to have an initial prototype ready in about a year. However, he stressed that it’s still uncertain if the effort will lead to the development of a commercially viable product. 

Photo: IBM