Revolutionary material made by UMD engineers could create safer, simpler and more efficient batteries

COLLEGE PARK, Md.  - Engineers at the University of Maryland have created a battery that is made entirely out of one material, which can both move electricity and store it.

“To my knowledge, there has never been any similar work reported,” said Dr. Kang Xu of the Army Research Laboratory, a researcher only peripherally related to the study. “It could lead to revolutionary progress in area of solid state batteries.”

Envision an Oreo cookie. Most batteries have at either end a layer of material for the electrodes like the chocolate cookies to help move ions though the creamy frosting – the electrolyte. Chunsheng Wang, a professor in the University of Maryland’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and his team have made a single material that incorporates the properties of both the electrodes and electrolyte – the crunchy cookie and the smooth center. 

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