On September 18th， according to Kuaitech， the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics， Chinese Academy of Sciences， announced that their team has developed a new type of core-shell structured hydride anion electrolyte and successfully constructed the first prototype hydride anion battery.
This achievement has been published in the international academic journal， Nature.
Hydrogen is considered a crucial component of the future clean energy system and typically exists in three forms: hydrogen cation (proton)， hydride anion， and hydrogen atom.
Schematic diagram of the hydride anion prototype battery
Among these， hydride anions possess the highest electron density， are easily polarizable， and exhibit the strongest reactivity. This makes them a unique and highly potential energy carrier， with significant scientific meaning and application prospects for their development.
In 2018， the research team at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics， Chinese Academy of Sciences， initiated research on hydride anion conduction. By 2023， they proposed the “lattice distortion to suppress electronic conduction” strategy and developed a room-temperature ultrafast hydride anion conductor.
Building upon this foundation， the team developed a novel core-shell structured composite hydride material by coating a thin layer of barium hydride (BaH2) onto cerium trihydride (CeH3).
This material demonstrates rapid hydride anion conduction at room temperature， while also offering excellent thermal and electrochemical stability， making it an ideal electrolyte material.
Based on this new hydride anion electrolyte material， the team assembled the first hydride anion prototype battery. They utilized sodium aluminum hydride (NaAlH4)， a classic hydrogen storage material， as the positive electrode and hydrogen-deficient cerium dihydride (CeH2) as the negative electrode.
Hydride anion prototype battery
By constructing a layered battery， the team successfully increased the voltage to 1.9 volts and illuminated an LED light. This achievement demonstrates the feasibility of hydride anion batteries powering electronic devices， marking a significant step from theoretical models to laboratory prototypes for hydride anion batteries.
Hydride anion batteries represent a completely new technological pathway for energy storage. They hold promise for significant applications in large-scale energy storage， hydrogen storage， mobile power supplies， and specialized power sources.
