Low cost, long durability rechargeable

Green Battery based on Zn and MnO2

electrodes.
Results in Brief

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Lithium-ion batteries get a new competitor

EU researchers have come up with a breakthrough design for rechargeable zinc-
manganese dioxide batteries. These could eventually become the power source of
choice for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles instead of lithium-ion.
TRANSPORT AND
MOBILITY ENERGY

With EU-funding of the project TT-Battery, the

Italian start-up company Tuscan Tech
successfully overcame major barriers to
making zinc-manganese dioxide batteries a
viable option for different applications. Their
advanced rechargeable batteries are not only
cheap but also easy to make from abundant
materials. The fact that they are also resistant
to exploding or catching fire and can be easily
© Mario Bartolini disposed of is making them a sustainable and
safer alternative to the lithium-ion battery type.

Leading the charge on recharging rates

Recent research on zinc-manganese dioxide batteries showed that it is possible to

transform them from non-rechargeable to rechargeable. While they have been known
to have a short life span, quickly losing their ability to recharge, TT-Battery has
shown that these batteries can be improved to have much better recharging rates.
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“We have identified a proper mix of raw materials with fast charging and stable
operation over many thousands of cycles,” notes Mario Bartolini, co-founder and
CEO of Tuscan Tech. The patented prototype device uses an aqueous electrolyte
solution containing zinc sulfate particles. This resolves issues such as the limited
lifetime and capacity fading of zinc-manganese dioxide batteries.

Project innovation led to the design of a rechargeable zinc-manganese dioxide

battery with high storage capacity exceeding 5 000 charging cycles, while retaining a
full 99 % of the initial capacity. “Our TT-Battery matches the performance of the best
lithium-ion batteries available on the market. It has also more recharge cycles than
the lead-acid battery, while costing about the same to produce at large scale,” adds
Bartolini. In addition, the nominal voltage is 2 volts per cell and energy density
exceeds 150 Wh/kg.

Promising potential for both stationary and mobile applications

The stationary battery storage market is forecast to witness an upswing in the

coming years. The management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group reports
that global investment could hit USD 35 billion by 2030. In its report, the prominent
investment bank Citigroup sounds more optimistic, forecasting that the global battery
storage market (not including car batteries) will surge to 240 GW and USD 400
billion by the same year.

TT-Battery can break the bottlenecks that are currently barriers to large-scale
stationary applications. Besides its potential for longer-lasting storage and its low
production cost, its design is simple and contains non-acid electrolytes. Another key
advantage is that zinc is in much more plentiful supply than lead, nickel, cobalt and
lithium. The battery is also not flammable, corrosive, or explosive under any
conditions, and can be easily recycled.

TT-Battery has successfully shown that their rechargeable zinc-manganese dioxide

battery design can be a viable power-source alternative to lithium-ion. “While the
most promising market for TT-Battery is the medium- and large-scale stationary
energy storage, our low-cost and high-energy-density battery could meet the needs
of safe electric mobility with long ranges in the future,” notes Bartolini. Industrial-
scale manufacturing may not be easy at first. After more than 20 years since lithium-
ion has been commercialised, manufacturers are seeking to evaluate the savings
that lithium-ion batteries offer. Therefore, they will not easily welcome novel battery
designs as product lifecycle determination is a long process.

Keywords

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TT-Battery, lithium-ion, rechargeable, zinc-manganese dioxide batteries, stationary,
energy storage, electric vehicles

Project Information

TT-Battery Funded under

H2020-EU.3.3.
Grant agreement ID: 806940 H2020-EU.2.1.1.
H2020-EU.2.3.1.
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Overall budget
Closed project € 71 429

Start date End date EU contribution

1 February 2018 31 July 2018 € 50 000

Coordinated by
TTSB SRL
  Italy

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Last update: 10 January 2019

Record number: 244894

Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/244894-lithiumion-batteries-get-a-
new-competitor

© European Union, 2021

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