Old battery chemistry resurfaces

Nickel-iron batteries store electricity with nickel on one side, iron on the other, and an alkaline liquid between them. In February 2026, a University of California, Los Angeles-led team said it had built a new version that recharges in seconds and kept working for more than 12,000 cycles. (newsroom.ucla.edu) The prototype revives a chemistry Thomas Edison promoted in 1901 for early electric vehicles, then retools it for solar farms and other stationary storage. The study was published on February 10, 2026, in coverage from the University of California, Los Angeles, and was described as an international collaboration co-led by the school. (newsroom.ucla.edu) The researchers said they used proteins as tiny scaffolds to grow nickel and iron clusters, then embedded those clusters in an ultrathin carbon-based conductor to make the battery’s electrodes. A separate report on the paper said the metal clusters were smaller than 5 nanometers and were formed with graphene oxide and urea during the fabrication process. (newsroom.ucla.edu) (connectsci.au) Nickel-iron batteries are being revisited for a different job than the one Edison imagined. The University of California, Los Angeles team said the design may fit renewable-energy storage, where fast charging and long life can matter more than packing the most energy into the smallest space. (newsroom.ucla.edu) (eepower.com) That tradeoff has defined the chemistry for years. A 2023 review in the journal *Batteries* said nickel-iron cells have drawn renewed interest over the last decade for off-grid energy storage because of their robustness and longevity, but still struggle with low energy density and side reactions that hurt performance. (mdpi.com) Those side reactions are one reason the chemistry never became the default battery for cars. Industry coverage says classic nickel-iron cells can be costly, perform poorly in cold weather, and produce hydrogen during charging, which means ventilation and water maintenance are part of the package. (eepower.com) Edison had pitched the battery as a tougher alternative to lead-acid packs in the early automobile era. University of California, Los Angeles said lead-acid batteries around 1900 offered about 30 miles of range, while Edison promoted nickel-iron with a 100-mile target and a seven-hour recharge, claims that did not translate into mass adoption. (newsroom.ucla.edu) The chemistry never disappeared entirely. Industry reporting says nickel-iron batteries stayed in niche uses such as railroad signaling, mining, and industrial equipment, where durability and tolerance for deep discharge mattered more than weight or compact size. (eepower.com) The new work lands as battery developers are testing more than one path for storing wind and solar power. The 2023 review said nickel-iron remains a niche candidate rather than a settled winner, and the University of California, Los Angeles team framed its prototype as a possible fit for storing daytime solar power for use after dark. (mdpi.com) (newsroom.ucla.edu)