Scientists have constructed the first rechargeable hydride ion battery.
Hydride ions (H⁻) have drawn curiosity as potential cost carriers for future electrochemical gadgets due to their extraordinarily low mass and excessive redox potential. Yet, progress has been restricted since no electrolyte has been in a position to present the mixture of speedy ion motion, thermal stability, and compatibility with electrodes that such techniques require.
A current examine in Nature experiences a breakthrough from Prof. Ping Chen and his workforce at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The researchers created a brand new kind of core–shell hydride ion electrolyte and efficiently assembled the first prototype of a chargeable hydride ion battery.
Researchers have developed the first room-temperature all-solid-state hydride ion battery. Credit: DICP
Using a heterojunction-inspired design, researchers synthesized a novel core–shell composite hydride, 3CeH3@BaH2, the place a skinny BaH2 shell encapsulates CeH3. This construction leverages the excessive hydride ion conductivity of CeH3 and the stability of BaH2, enabling quick hydride ion conduction at room temperature together with excessive thermal and electrochemical stability.
The Prototype Hydride Ion Battery
Furthermore, researchers constructed a CeH2|3CeH3@BaH2|NaAlH4 all-solid-state hydride ion prototype battery utilizing NaAlH4, a classical hydrogen storage materials, as the cathode energetic element. The constructive electrode of the battery delivered an preliminary discharge capability of 984 mAh/g at room temperature and retained 402 mAh/g after 20 cycles.
In a stacked configuration, the working voltage reached 1.9 V, powering a yellow light-emitting diode lamp, which was a compelling instance for sensible purposes.
By adopting hydrogen as the cost service, this expertise averted dendrite formation, paving the approach for protected, environment friendly, and sustainable power storage. With the tunable properties of hydride-based supplies, hydride ion batteries maintain immense potential for clear power storage and conversion.
Reference: “A room temperature rechargeable all-solid-state hydride ion battery” by Jirong Cui, Ren Zou, Weijin Zhang, Hong Wen, Jinyao Liu, Shangshang Wang, Shukun Liu, Hetong Chen, Wei Liu, Xiaohua Ju, Weiwei Wang, Tao Gan, Jiong Li, Jianping Guo, Teng He, Hujun Cao and Ping Chen, 17 September 2025, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09561-3
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