'No Fire Risk' With New Lithium Batteries (bbc.com)

Lithium-ion batteries that are resistant to exploding or catching fire have been developed by scientists. From a report: The devices produced sufficient energy for use in household electronics, but did not ignite -- even when punctured repeatedly with a nail. The batteries use a water-salt solution as their electrolyte, removing the risks carried by some non-aqueous commercial models. The research is published in the journal Joule. "In the past, if you wanted high energy, you would choose a non-aqueous lithium-ion battery, but you would have to compromise on safety. If you preferred safety, you could use an aqueous battery such as nickel/metal hydride, but you would have to settle for lower energy," said co-author Kang Xu, from the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL). "Now, we are showing that you can simultaneously have access to both high energy and high safety."

Comments

Re:I wonder if it will beat the zinc-air to market

[EndlessNameless]

I wonder when, if, and which might make it to market.

It takes years to go from "we did it once or twice in a lab" to "commercial product is ready to ship". At best.

Engineering work takes time, especially when the product is targeting an established market.