Nickel hydrogen gas batteries: From aerospace to grid-scale energy storage applications

The challenging requirements of high safety, low-cost, all-climate and long lifespan restrict most battery technologies for grid-scale energy storage. Historically, owing to stable electrode reactions and robust battery chemistry, aqueous nickel–hydrogen gas (Ni–H2) batteries with outstanding durability and safety have been served in aerospace and satellite systems for over three decades ever since their first development in the 1970s. Despite their satisfactory performances, this technology has difficulty to be applied for grid-scale energy storage primarily because of their high cost resulting from the utilization of expensive platinum as anode hydrogen catalyst. In recent years, with the extensive exploration of inexpensive hydrogen evolution/oxidation reaction catalysts, advanced Ni–H2 batteries have been revived as promising battery chemistry for grid-scale energy storage applications. This mini-review provides an overview of the development activities of Ni–H2 batteries and highlights the recent advances in the application of advanced Ni–H2 batteries for grid-scale energy storage. New cost-effective hydrogen evolution/oxidation reactions catalysts, novel cathode materials, and advanced Ni–H2 battery designs toward further development of Ni–H2 batteries are discussed. The renaissance of advanced Ni–H2 battery technology is particularly attractive for future grid-scale energy storage applications.