There is plenty of wind and plenty of sunshine to provide energy for the world many times over. But the wind does not blow always nor sun shine at night! That intermittency has been the bane of renewable energy. And bateries to store the energy when available have proven to be expensive and bulky.
Needn' be, says MIT. According to MIT, liquid batteries are inexpensive and last longer than traditional batteries. The three materials contained in the liquid batteries each settle in separate layers due to the difference in their densities, which, in this case, is a good thing. They need to be separate.
The negative electrode (anode) is in the top layer and is made of magnesium; the middle layer, the electrolyte, consists of a salt mixture containing magnesium chloride; and the bottom layer, which is the positive electrode (cathode), is made of antimony. This battery operates at a temperature of 700 °C.
The battery generates an electric current as each magnesium atom (this is in the negative electrode) loses two electrons, then becoming magnesium ions which travel to the other antimony electrode. The magnesium ions then reacquire two more electrons and become magnesium again because of this. This causes an alloy to form with the antimony.
When the battery is supplied with an electric current, this process is reversed and the electrons are driven out of the antimony electrode, and back to the magnesium electrode.
Not only does the battery act as storage but actually generates electricity through the chemical reaction! Liquid batteries could be used by utilities too, notes MIT.
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