A Chinese research team has developed a new calcium-ion based energy storage device, which is proved to have high capacity and long cycling life at room temperature. 

Calcium-ion batteries (CIBs) have long attracted attention as a replacement for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). They have a larger capacity than LIBs, as a calcium-ion can provide twice the number of electrons than a lithium-ion. 

In addition, calcium is about 2,500 times as abundant as lithium in nature, making the calcium-ion energy storage technology a promising candidate for next-generation batteries due to its high performance and low cost. 

However, calcium-ion batteries have been unsuccessful to attain a satisfactory performance in previous studies due to the lack of an appropriate combination of electrode materials and electrolytes. 

The new device, developed by the research team led by Tang Yongbing from Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has overcome this major obstacle. 

The new hybrid device uses activated carbon as a positive electrode and tin as a negative electrode, according to a paper recently published on the website of the scientific journal Advanced Energy Materials. 

"It has a good rate and cycling performance as well as high capacity and working voltage," Tang said, adding that it successfully retained 84 percent of its initial capacity after 1,000 cycles at room temperature. 

"This is the best electrochemical performance ever achieved by calcium-ion based energy storage devices. Considering the low cost and simple manufacturing technique, we are one step closer to next-generation energy storage," he said. (Xinhua)