Energy density is defined as the amount of energy stored in a system per unit of volume.

“Our approach is a complete change from the current battery concept of two electrodes joined by a liquid electrolyte, which has been used over the last 150 to 200 years,” said ORNL scientist Chengdu Liang, lead author of a report on the battery tests published this week in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

The development of a long-lasting, commercially usable lithium-sulfur battery has eluded scientists for decades. The use of liquid electrolytes has proven to be a massive hurdle in the way of pursuing these super batteries. A liquid electrolyte helps to conduct ions through the battery by allowing lithium compounds to dissolve. However, the same dissolution process causes the battery to readily break down.