"Breakthrough in Battery Technology: Long-Lasting, Cobalt-Free, and High-Capacity Aluminum-Ion Batteries"

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have developed a new way to use nickel in lithium-ion batteries, reducing or eliminating the need for cobalt, which is often mined using child labor. The team spent three years devising a process called "complex concentrated doping" that enables the scientists to alter the key chemical formula in lithium-ion batteries. The doping process eliminates the need for cobalt in commercial components critical for lithium-ion battery functioning and replaces it with nickel, making it a more attractive alternative to cobalt-based batteries.