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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Researchers create lithium-air battery that could be 10x more powerful than lithium-ion ScienceAlert... A new lithium-air battery created by researchers at the University of Cambridge points the way to the ultimate battery packs of the future, its makers say. With a very high energy density, more than 90 percent efficiency and the capability for more than 2,000 recharge cycles, the new test battery could prove an important stepping stone in the development of this essential technology. If you're getting tired of announcements about breakthroughs in battery technology, that's understandable: as they're so essential to modern life, many teams of scientists are busy working on the problem around the clock, but it's an incredibly complex area of chemistry. Any new battery has to improve on what we already have, be safe to use in consumer gadgets, and be commercially viable enough to be affordable for manufacturers. Those are difficult targets to hit, and that's why many 'miracle' batteries have since fallen by the wayside – once the initial lab work is done, proving concepts and scaling up production is very difficult to get right. The potential rewards are huge though, not just for smartphones but for electric cars and solar power, where batteries are essential for storing energy to use when the sun isn't shining. The idea of a lithium-air or lithium-oxygen battery isn't new – scientists have known for a while that these types of batteries can hold up to 10 times the charge of today's lithium-ion packs (imagine not having to charge your phone for a whole week). What the Cambridge University team has done is overcome some of the practical challenges that had previously prevented lithium-air technology from being a viable option. The new battery from the Cambridge University lab has a higher capacity, better efficiency and improved stability compared with previous attempts – this stability, crucial if we're to put these batteries into millions of cars and smartphones, was reached by using a 'fluffy' carbon electrode made from graphene. What's more, by changing the chemical mix from earlier versions of lithium-air batteries, the researchers were able to prevent the battery from degrading significantly over time. "What we've achieved is a significant advance for this technology and suggests whole new areas for research – we haven't solved all the problems inherent to this chemistry, but our results do show routes forward towards a practical device," said Clare Grey, the paper's senior author, in a press statement. Now for the bad news: this technology is still a decade or so away. The demonstration battery produced by the scientists still needs pure oxygen in order to charge – not something many of us have a ready supply of – and there's still the risk of the battery exploding due to the dendrites (spindly lithium metal fibres) created during the charging process. Eventually, these issues will be dealt with, but it's going to take a lot of research and experimentation first. "While there are still plenty of fundamental studies that remain to be done, to iron out some of the mechanistic details, the current results are extremely exciting... we've shown that there are solutions to some of the tough problems associated with this technology," added Grey. The research has been published in Science. Read these next: Here's how hydrogen could transform battery life on your portable gadgets This transparent lithium-ion battery charges itself with sunlight Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
Thanks for keeping up with Science Alert. Lots of these breakthroughs never seem to surface again, but some become the next big thing.
The article gives no actual numbers to support its claims that this battery "could be 10x more powerful than lithium-ion" or that it has "a very high energy density". It gives no numbers at all -- not even an estimated range -- for specific energy, energy density, or specific power. Oh, but they KNOW that it has the capability for more than 2,000 recharge cycles. So I'm not sure if the reporter is just a dolt, or if the whole story is hype.
Maybe an air battery is like a water engine? :-)
My son-in-law told me that the reason some people have big noses is that air is free.
How was copper wire invented? Two of those people fighting over a penny.
They wouldn't do that.
A few years ago a construction crew excavating a new building site in New Mexico unearthed some ancient copper wire buried several feet below the surface of the desert. After some study, researchers concluded that the Anasazi must have had an advanced electronic communications system. A few months later, a construction crew digging in Africa DIDN'T find any buried copper wire, so researchers naturally concluded that the ancient Africans must have had an advanced WIRELESS electronic communications system.
ROTF!!! The wit's flowing 2nite :-)
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