Overview
- A lab-scale nickel–iron prototype co-led by UCLA fully recharged in seconds and sustained performance over more than 12,000 charge–discharge cycles.
- Electrodes use sub‑5 nanometer clusters of nickel and iron grown with protein templates and embedded in a graphene-derived aerogel that is roughly 99% air by volume.
- Researchers cite the immense electrode surface area and atomic-level dispersion, including single detected Ni and Fe atoms, as key to the rapid kinetics.
- This iteration trails lithium-ion cells in energy density, positioning it for grid storage and data-center backup rather than passenger EV range.
- The study in the journal Small details ongoing work to test other metals and replace bovine protein templates with abundant natural polymers to improve scalability and cost.