Researchers have taken a step forward in developing batteries that can store 10 times more energy than existing lithium-ion batteries.

The scientists have been experimenting with a “garnet ceramic” material called LLZO that could hasten the release of batteries based on lithium-air chemistry. Lithium-air batteries have been in development for decades but are considered unstable for practical use.

LLZO could lead to batteries that are safer, denser and more longer-lasting than lithium ion. Researchers tested its properties using electron microscopy at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Conventional lithium-ion batteries have reached their limits and a new chemistry is needed to advance the state of the art, said Cheng Ma, a post-doctoral associate researcher at ORNL.

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