A material and paper-thin electrodes might lead to a 250% increase in power from zinc-air batteries, says developer QuantumSphere Inc, Santa Ana, Calif., (qsinano.com). Primary zinc-air batteries already offer three to six times the energy of equivalently sized alkaline and rechargeable batteries. The recent finding suggests zinc-air batteries could store nearly 15 times the power of existing rechargeable batteries. Company CEO Kevin Maloney cautions there is some work to be done before commercializing the development.

“The improvements unlock higher-power applications previously viewed as impractical for this class of battery,” says Robert Dopp, a collaborator with Quantum Sphere and president and chief scientist at DoppStein Inc., Atlanta. “Our companies collaborated to find the most effective catalyst and the best ways to apply it to gas-diffusion electrodes. The improvement involves little increase in cost and eliminates mercury, a material the European Union has recently mandated removed from all batteries.