China builds world's first hydride ion battery for clean energy storage

Chinese researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have developed the world’s first working prototype of a hydride ion battery, marking a significant advancement in clean energy storage technology. This all-solid-state battery uses sodium aluminum hydride (NaAlH4) as the positive electrode and hydrogen-poor cerium dihydride as the negative electrode, both common hydrogen storage materials. The team addressed previous challenges related to electrolyte efficiency, thermal stability, and electrode compatibility by creating a novel core-shell hydride ion electrolyte composed of cerium trihydride (CeH3) encapsulated by barium hydride (BaH2). This design enables fast hydride ion conduction at room temperature and becomes superionic above 60°C, combining high conductivity with stability. The prototype battery demonstrated an initial specific discharge capacity of 984 mAh/g at room temperature and retained 402 mAh/g after 20 cycles, with an operating voltage of