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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Discover Frozen Electrolyte That Can Power Lithium Batteries

A team of researchers has discovered something surprising about batteries: electrolytes can still work even when frozen. This finding challenges a long-held belief in battery science that electrolytes must remain liquid to allow ions to move inside a battery.

The research was conducted by scientists from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Their study shows that frozen organic electrolytes can still conduct lithium ions efficiently enough to power a battery.

The work was published in the journal Advanced Materials and could open new possibilities for safer and more efficient Lithium Metal Batteries.

This breakthrough suggests that solid-like “ice electrolytes” could help solve some of the biggest problems in next-generation batteries.

Rethinking How Battery Electrolytes Work

In most modern batteries, including the Lithium‑ion battery, the electrolyte is a liquid. Its job is simple but essential: it allows lithium ions to move between the battery’s two electrodes during charging and discharging.

When a battery charges, lithium ions travel from the cathode to the anode through the electrolyte. When the battery discharges, they move back again, producing electrical energy.

For decades, scientists believed this movement required a liquid environment, where ions could easily flow. If the electrolyte froze, it was assumed that ion movement would stop and the battery would stop working.

However, the new research shows that this assumption is not entirely correct.

The scientists demonstrated that even frozen electrolytes can conduct lithium ions, as long as the molecular structure allows ions to move between atoms.

How Scientists Created a Frozen Electrolyte

The research team developed an electrolyte using Ethylene Carbonate (EC), a common organic solvent already used in commercial lithium-ion batteries.

Ethylene carbonate has a melting point of about 37°C. This means that at room temperature (around 25°C), it naturally becomes solid.

In commercial batteries, manufacturers normally mix EC with other solvents to keep the electrolyte liquid. But in this experiment, researchers did something different.

Instead of lowering the melting point, they intentionally allowed the electrolyte to remain in its frozen, ice-like state.

To achieve this, the scientists added only a small amount of lithium salt. This prevented the solvent from melting and maintained a solid structure similar to ice.

The result was a unique material that looked like a solid but still allowed lithium ions to move through it.

The “Ion Hopping” Mechanism

The most interesting part of the study was discovering how lithium ions move inside frozen electrolytes.

In liquid electrolytes, ions simply flow through the liquid solvent. But in the frozen electrolyte, the solvent molecules are locked in place.

Instead of flowing freely, lithium ions move using a process called ion hopping.

In this mechanism:

  1. Solvent molecules form a fixed structure.

  2. Oxygen atoms on these molecules act as temporary stopping points.

  3. Lithium ions jump—or “hop”—from one oxygen atom to another.

This step-by-step movement allows ions to travel through the solid material even though the molecules themselves do not move.

Researchers found that this process is surprisingly efficient.

Strong Performance Despite Being Frozen

One of the most important parts of the research was testing whether the frozen electrolyte could actually power a battery.

The results were impressive.

The ice electrolyte showed an ionic conductivity of about 0.64 millisiemens per centimeter, which is comparable to some advanced solid electrolytes currently being developed.

Another key metric is the lithium-ion transference number, which measures how effectively lithium ions carry the electric charge in the electrolyte.

The frozen electrolyte achieved a value of about 0.8, meaning most of the electrical charge is transported by lithium ions. This is considered very good performance for battery materials.

Testing the Electrolyte in Lithium Metal Batteries

To see how practical the electrolyte could be, the team tested it inside lithium metal batteries.

These batteries are considered one of the most promising future energy storage technologies. They can store up to 50% more energy than conventional lithium-ion batteries.

However, lithium metal batteries have several challenges. One major issue is the formation of dendrites, which are tiny needle-like lithium structures that grow during charging.

Dendrites can pierce the separator inside the battery and cause dangerous short circuits.

Another issue is the chemical reaction between lithium metal and liquid electrolytes, which can degrade the battery over time.

The frozen electrolyte helps solve both problems.

During testing, the battery with the ice electrolyte successfully completed more than 400 charge-discharge cycles at room temperature without internal short circuits.

This indicates strong stability and reliable performance.

Why Frozen Electrolytes Could Be Safer

Frozen electrolytes offer several potential advantages compared to traditional liquid electrolytes.

1. Reduced Side Reactions

Because the solvent molecules are immobilized, unwanted chemical reactions between lithium metal and the electrolyte are reduced.

2. Lower Risk of Dendrites

The controlled ion movement prevents uneven lithium deposition, which helps reduce dendrite formation.

3. Solid-Like Stability

Frozen electrolytes behave like solids, which can improve the mechanical stability of the battery.

4. Improved Safety

Liquid electrolytes can be flammable. A solid or frozen electrolyte may reduce the risk of leakage or fire.

These benefits make ice electrolytes an attractive option for next-generation batteries.

A New Direction for Solid Electrolytes

Scientists around the world are trying to develop solid-state batteries, which use solid electrolytes instead of liquid ones.

Most research has focused on rigid inorganic materials or special polymers to create these solid electrolytes.

But the new study suggests another possibility: organic ice-like structures.

According to Professor Hyun‑Kon Song, this discovery shows that a solid electrolyte does not necessarily have to be a rigid crystal.

Even a loosely arranged frozen structure made from solvent molecules can support efficient ion conduction.

This insight could significantly expand the range of materials scientists consider when designing future battery electrolytes.

Future Research and Real-World Applications

Although the results are promising, the technology is still in an early research stage.

The next step is to identify organic solvents with higher melting points that can naturally remain solid at typical operating temperatures.

Researchers are also exploring combinations of solvents that could create even more stable ice-like structures.

If successful, frozen electrolytes could help enable practical lithium metal batteries for many applications, including:

  • Electric vehicles

  • Portable electronics

  • Grid energy storage

  • Renewable energy systems

Because lithium metal batteries can store much more energy than current lithium-ion batteries, they could significantly increase the driving range of electric vehicles and extend battery life in devices.

A Surprising Discovery With Big Potential

The idea that frozen electrolytes can power batteries may sound unusual, but it could reshape the future of energy storage.

By demonstrating that lithium ions can move through solid organic ice via a hopping mechanism, researchers have opened a new path for battery design.

This discovery challenges long-standing assumptions in battery science and shows that solid-like electrolytes made from simple organic solvents could be viable alternatives to complex materials.

If further research confirms the technology’s practicality, frozen electrolytes could play a key role in making safer, longer-lasting, and higher-energy batteries for the next generation of technology.

In other words, the future of batteries might not just be solid or liquid—it might be somewhere in between, in the form of “energy-conducting ice.”

Reference: D. S. Cheong, M. Kwon, P.-S. Jung, et al. “ Lithium-Ion Conduction Through Frozen Phase of Organic Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries.” Advanced Materials 38, no. 12 (2026): e12268. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202512268

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