A rechargeable and highly discharging molecular cluster battery has been developed by scientists in Japan.

Kunio Awaga and co-workers have demonstrated for the first time that a well-known manganese cluster species can be incorporated into a battery, as the cathodes active material. This results in a rechargeable and highly discharging molecular cluster battery. 

Lithium ion batteries are widely used as rechargeable batteries, but charging and discharging can be a slow process. Awaga's team have proved that by incorporating a manganese cluster (Mn12), a well-known single molecule magnet, enhances the discharging process.

This new battery consists of a lithium anode and Mn12 cathode, which showed to have a capacity of ~90 Ah/Kg, as well as 200-250 Ah/Kg being observed for its first discharging process.

'This is the first study to demonstrate that molecular cluster species have the ability to act as cathode active materials,' said Awaga. When asked about future developments of this work, Awaga commented, 'since there are numerous molecular metal clusters it is expected that the study of molecular cluster batteries will grow into a major branch of research for rechargeable batteries.'

Emma Shiells