Chinese experts have developed a cheaper and safer battery than conventional batteries that can be a cheaper and safer alternative to lithium cells. It is a new type of sodium-sulphur iron. Lithium is being used as the main battery material in an increasing number of electronic devices. But lithium batteries get hot and problems with sourcing the material make these batteries a safety hazard and expensive.

These early designs also faced severe difficulties in generating the basic chemical reactions needed to generate electricity at normal temperatures. Using large amounts of sodium metal in the anode (typically dozens of times more than typical lithium and sodium batteries) not only increases safety risks and costs, but also affects available energy and power density, according to scientists.

By modifying the chemical reaction, the researchers created a high-voltage, anode-free battery that works efficiently at room temperature. According to them, the new design provides a discharge voltage of 3.6 volts, which is much higher than the previous models’ around 1.6 volts.