A study has revealed a role for oxygen in developing faster-charging, longer-lasting, and safer batteries. Researchers announced that they had succeeded, for the first time, in identifying the pivotal role that oxygen plays in the processes of storing and releasing energy inside a battery, after it had been believed for decades that its role was limited to that of an inert element. The team relied on computer modelling and laboratory experiments that showed oxygen actively participates in both the charging and discharging processes.