Aqueous and nonaqueous lithium-air batteries enabled by water-stable lithium metal electrodes

The extremely high theoretical energy density of the lithium-oxygen couple makes it very attractive for next-generation battery development. However, there are a number of challenging technical hurdles that must be addressed for Li-Air batteries to become a commercial reality. In this article, we demonstrate how the invention of water-stable, solid electrolyte-protected lithium electrodes solves many of these issues and paves the way for the development of aqueous and nonaqueous Li-Air batteries with unprecedented energy densities. We also show data for fully packaged Li-Air cells that achieve more than 800 Wh/kg.