Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries
Published on: November 10, 2014
The rechargeable aluminum-ion battery.
N Jayaprakash1, S K Das, L A Archer
1School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-5201, USA.
A new aluminum-ion rechargeable battery using aluminum chloride in an ionic liquid electrolyte and a vanadium oxide cathode shows promising performance. This battery offers stable electrochemical behavior and significant discharge capacity for energy storage applications.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Aluminum-ion batteries are an emerging alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to aluminum's abundance and high volumetric capacity.
- Developing stable electrolytes and high-performance cathodes is crucial for advancing aluminum-ion battery technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a novel aluminum-ion rechargeable battery system.
- To evaluate the electrochemical performance of a V(2)O(5) nano-wire cathode with an aluminum anode in a specific ionic liquid electrolyte.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of an aluminum-ion battery cell.
- Utilizing an electrolyte composed of aluminum chloride (AlCl(3)) in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride.
- Employing a vanadium pentoxide (V(2)O(5)) nano-wire cathode and an aluminum metal anode.
- Conducting galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling to assess battery performance.
Main Results:
- The battery achieved an initial discharge capacity of 305 mAh g(-1).
- A stable discharge capacity of 273 mAh g(-1) was maintained after 20 cycles.
- The battery exhibited stable electrochemical behavior throughout the testing period.
Conclusions:
- The developed aluminum-ion battery system demonstrates significant potential for rechargeable energy storage.
- The combination of the AlCl(3)/ionic liquid electrolyte and V(2)O(5) nano-wire cathode offers a viable pathway for high-performance aluminum-ion batteries.
Related Concept Videos
Batteries and Fuel Cells
DC Battery
Types of Reversible Electrodes
Voltaic/Galvanic Cells
Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...
Charging Conductors By Induction
Generally, conductors like metals do not allow any excess charge to be present on them. Any excess charge added to metals easily flows away, for example, when a metal is placed on the Earth. This process is called earthing.
However, conductors can be charged by a process called induction. For example, consider charging a...
The Electrical Double Layer

