WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO STORE ELECTRICITY CHEAPLY ON A MASS SCALE
The Liquid Metal Battery Research Company (LMBRC) is an Australian company formed to continue research into developing a better battery that has the potential to change the energy landscape in Australia.
This research is to be lead by Professor Donald Sadoway in conjunction with the Australian team headed by Professor Behdad Moghtaderi at NIER. It brings together some of the world's leading electrochemists to solve the key problem facing the widespread adoption of renewable energy - How can you make a battery that is cheap, long lasting and that can be fully discharged several times a day?
AN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Liquid metal battery technology is distinct from all other storage options in development today. It offers daily cycling over an extremely long life at a price point that makes it truly competitive.
3 ACTIVE MATERIALS
All three active metal components are in liquid form when the battery operates. The two liquid electrodes are separated by a molten salt electrolyte, and these liquid layers float on top of each other based on density differences and immiscibility. The system operates at elevated temperature maintained by self-heating during charging and discharging.
LOW COST
It achieves low cost through the use of inexpensive, earth-abundant materials and an elegant design that takes advantage of the economies of scale inherent to electro-metallurgy and conventional manufacturing.
LONG LIFESPAN
Liquid electrodes offer a robust alternative to solid electrodes, avoiding common failure mechanisms of conventional batteries, such as electrode particle cracking. The all-liquid design avoids cycle-to-cycle capacity fade because the electrodes are reconstituted with each charge. The long life of the battery is in excess of 300 years.
EASY TO OPERATE
The liquid metal battery operates silently, is emissions-free, and has no moving parts.
OUR TEAM
Prof. Donald Sadoway
Global Research Director
Donald is the John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
He is the inventor of the LMB and will direct the research program both at MIT in Boston and in the NIEIR facilty in Newcastle University
Gordon Hinds
CEO, Director
Gordon has had a long career in global communications firms both in Australia and the USA. He has benne the architect of the Research collaboration program and a tireless champion of the further development of the LMB technology in Australia
Prof. Behdad Moghtaderi
Co-Research Director
Behdad is a chemical Engineer and Research Director at the NIER Facility at Newcastle University.
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