Yin and yang: Opposites in nature, fluoride and lithium, compete for higher-energy batteries
The chemical element that makes up most of today’s batteries, lithium, may soon be challenged by its polar opposite on the periodic table: fluoride. Yes, the same stuff in toothpaste. The two elements would be in competition for helping electronics last longer on a charge, such as electric cars that need to travel more miles than is possible with lithium-ion batteries on the market. Researchers are one step closer to equipping fluoride-based batteries for battle with improvements that allow the technology to operate at room temperature. Up until this point, fluoride had been limited to building high-temperature batteries that are impractical for our electronic devices.