New DIY battery technology

High performance batteries can be made from metal scraps & common household chemicals

A team of researchers at Vanderbilt University has created a "world`s first" of its kind steel-brass battery using scrap metals, which has been shown to be able to store energy "at levels comparable to lead-acid batteries" yet with charging and discharging rates that are on par with supercapacitors, which offer "ultrafast" rates of energy transfer. This new battery design, while not yet built as a full-scale prototype, could offer a significant advantage over both conventional lead-acid batteries and the current leader in the sector, lithium-ion cells, due to its non-flammable electrolyte liquid, which uses potassium hydroxide, a low-cost salt commonly found in laundry detergent, and its DIY-friendliness.