Chinese researchers develop new gas-solid battery for hydrogen storage

A Chinese research team from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a prototype gas-solid battery that uses hydrogen gas and metal electrodes, providing a new approach for efficient hydrogen storage under normal temperature and pressure conditions.

The research findings were published on Wednesday in the journal Joule.

The newly developed battery is based on hydrogen anions, which are considered one of the key charge carriers for next-generation all-solid-state batteries. However, hydrogen anions are extremely unstable under natural conditions, posing major technical challenges for researchers.

After years of research, the Chinese team overcame difficulties related to stable hydrogen anion conduction and all-solid-state battery construction, ultimately creating the new gas-solid battery prototype.

The battery uses hydrogen gas and magnesium metal as the active materials for the positive and negative electrodes. It can achieve hydrogen charging and electricity discharge, as well as electricity charging and hydrogen release, enabling simultaneous electrochemical energy storage and hydrogen storage.

Experimental data showed the battery achieved an energy utilization efficiency of 93.9%, around one-third higher than traditional thermal hydrogen storage methods.

Researchers also successfully stacked multiple battery units to power an LED light bulb, demonstrating the technology's practical potential.

The team said the breakthrough eliminates the need for extreme conditions such as high pressure or ultra-low temperatures commonly required in conventional hydrogen storage technologies. The new approach could provide a fresh technical pathway for solving long-standing hydrogen storage challenges and support the development of the hydrogen energy industry.