This university made its name on oil — but now it may have cracked the code for better batteries

A Chinese university founded in the 1950s to study and advance the oil sector might ironically be on the cusp of groundbreaking cleaner battery tech, according to published reports. 

The research is happening at the China University of Petroleum, where experts have made a hydrogel electrolyte for promising aqueous batteries that use abundant water as the base solution, according to a summary from EurekAlert. 

Water-based packs are touted as fire-resistant as well as lower cost and more environmentally friendly than common and reliable lithium-ion cells. But low energy density — the amount of power that can be stored per pound — and some electrochemical stability issues have hindered commercial development, EurekAlert reported. 

But the Chinese experts may have a solution that sounds like a description pulled from a toothpaste tube: a hydrogel paired with Prussian blue for maximum results. 

The former part serves as the electrolyte, where ions move between the anode and cathode during the charge-discharge cycle. Prussian blue is a substance the team used as a cathode material. It's all part of a sodium-zinc hybrid ion battery, per the study. 

"Our hydrogel electrolyte represents a significant advancement in the field of aqueous batteries," lead researcher Linjie Zhi said in the report. 

The hydrogel is built on a "unique polymer network" that provides "impressive" ionic conductivity and an ability to operate at higher voltages. The prototype lost only a fraction of a percent of its capacity after 6,000 test cycles at around 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The experts attribute the success to the electrolyte-cathode combo's ability to reduce "side reactions" in the pack that can weaken performance and cause degradation, per EurekAlert. 

The report added that experts think the hydrogel is compatible with other cathode types as well. 

"Its ability to maintain high performance over thousands of cycles and at high current densities is a testament to its potential for practical applications in energy storage," Zhi said in the article. 

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Experts at Ohio's Case Western Reserve University are working on an aqueous-zinc battery too. They are noting some of the same benefits as the Chinese team. The battery is part of a growing list of unique innovations vying for position as the key transitional energy-storing tech. 

Batteries are crucial to our switch to a cleaner future as electric vehicles and renewable energy become more common. Sustainability by Numbers reported that about 30 million tons of minerals will need to be mined annually to power the changeover. Batteries that more efficiently use crucial metals and utilize water and other common substances and better pack recycling can reduce invasive mining. 

Importantly, even EVs with the dirtiest batteries are a cleaner option, preventing thousands of pounds of air pollution annually compared to gas cars, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. 

The Sustainability by Numbers report added that we haul 16.5 billion tons of fossil fuels from the Earth each year, for perspective. 

The Chinese experts see their invention as a possible solution for grid storage, EVs, and other tech, calling their findings "profound," per EurekAlert. 

"This innovation addresses critical limitations in current battery technologies and opens new avenues for further development," Zhi said. 

What's more, taking part in the transition to a cooler future doesn't need to involve cutting-edge tech. Better managing the power used in your home each day can make a big difference. By unplugging so-called energy vampires — chargers and devices that you aren't using — you can save around $165 yearly on your power bill while reducing planet-warming pollution. 

The fumes are linked by experts from NASA and elsewhere to increased risks for a troublesome list of severe weather and health problems, including wildfires and asthma. 

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