An Overview and Future Perspectives of Aluminum Batteries

A critical overview of the latest developments in the aluminum battery technologies is reported. The substitution of lithium with alternative metal anodes characterized by lower cost and higher abundance is nowadays one of the most widely explored paths to reduce the cost of electrochemical storage systems and enable long-term sustainability. Aluminum based secondary batteries could be a viable alternative to the present Li-ion technology because of their high volumetric capacity (8040 mAh cmâ3 for Al vs 2046 mAh cmâ3 for Li). Additionally, the low cost aluminum makes these batteries appealing for large-scale electrical energy storage. Here, we describe the evolution of the various aluminum systems, starting from those based on aqueous electrolytes to, in more details, those based on non-aqueous electrolytes. Particular attention has been dedicated to the latest development of electrolytic media characterized by low reactivity towards other cell components