Ten times more power than lithium ion — but still ten years off: A fluffy carbon electrode has brought scientists at Cambridge University a step closer to producing a workable lithium-air battery, but many technical challenges remain.

Today’s lithium-ion batteries are light, but bulky for the charge they store. Other battery chemistries have a better energy density. For years, scientists have been looking for ways to make batteries with all the advantages of Li-ion, but that take up less space.

Lithium-air batteries, with a theoretical energy density 10 times that of Li-ion, are seen as the way forward, but experimental models have so far proven unstable, with poor charge or discharge rates and low energy efficiency. Worse, they can only be operated in pure oxygen, making them impractical for use in a normal atmosphere.

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