Why it matters to materials
Because a grid battery does not have to be light, it can use chemistries a car cannot: iron phosphate, sodium-ion, vanadium flow, even iron-air. Each choice moves demand to a different mine.
What it is made of
All materials →| Material | What it does here | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Copper critical | Collectors and connection | Defining |
| Graphite critical | Anode | Defining |
| Lithium critical | Lithium-ion systems | Defining |
| Phosphate Rock critical | LFP cathode | Defining |
| Vanadium critical | Redox flow electrolyte | Defining |
| Aluminium critical | Enclosures and collectors | Important |
| Iron Ore | Iron-air and iron-based chemistries | Important |
| Manganese critical | Manganese-based cathodes | Important |
| Salt | Sodium-ion cathode and electrolyte | Important |
Copper
The reddish metal that carries electricity better than anything except silver, and which humans have been smelting…
Graphite
Pure carbon in soft, slippery sheets — the same stuff as pencil lead — and the material that holds the lithium when a…
Lithium
A soft, silvery metal so light it floats on water, and the element that lets a rechargeable battery store a lot of…
Phosphate Rock
Rock full of the element phosphorus — the P in fertiliser, and now the P in the LFP batteries used in most new…
Vanadium
A metal that makes rebar dramatically stronger in tiny doses, and that can also store electricity dissolved in a tank…
Aluminium
A light silvery metal made by passing an enormous electric current through dissolved bauxite — which is why people…
