The promising potential of using iron instead of scare metals in batteries

Iron is one of the cheapest and most abundant metals on the planet, unlike nickel and cobalt, which are used in lithium-ion batteries to power electric vehicles, and ubiquitous devices, from mobile phones to laptops. Oregon State University chemistry researcher Xiulei “David” Ji is an author of a new study that shows iron can be used to replace metals that are scarce, expensive and can be environmentally damaging to extract. He hopes this technology will be the spark for a green battery technological evolution that could aid the switch from fossil fuels to electricity. We talk with Ji about the importance of green batteries, and the development of a new generation of lithium-ion batteries using iron. what’s next in developing a widely commercially available lithium-ion battery using iron.