- small lithium ion battery
Article by Sarah Griffiths: EDT 12: 35 on July 28, 2014 | update: EDT 14: 05 on July 28, 2014. Due to new breakthroughs, the days when smartphones and laptops run out of batteries after a few hours are likely
Scientists have finally made a pure lithium battery, which can last four times longer than the battery that previously powered smartphones and other devices.
This "divine discovery" will revolutionize the technology of consumer devices from electric vehicles to MP3 players, all of which require power storage.
At the moment, owners of gadgets that use lithium-ion batteries are facing constant frustration as they have to charge devices regularly to make sure they don't run out of batteries after a few hours.
This is because although the battery is small, it has energy. hungry.
But after years of research, engineers at Stanford University in California believe they have figured out how to keep the same size while extending their life.
According to research published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, in order to do so, they also made the anode of the battery with lithium.
All batteries have three basic components: an electrolyte that provides electrons, an anode that discharges these electrons, and a cathode that receives them.
We have lithium ion batteries today, but lithium is in the electrolyte, not in the anode.
Scientists have been working on the production of pure lithium anode for many years, because it is cheap and small, and it is a huge improvement in battery efficiency.
But since lithium did not survive the process, many people failed.
Engineers have successfully created a lithium anode by inventing a film made of carbon nanospheres to protect the anode and prevent cracking when the anode expands.
The NanoSphere creates a surface similar to a honeycomb, making it flexible, uniform, and non-flexible
Reactive film to protect unstable lithium.
The wall of the carbon nanosphere is only 20 nanometers thick.
It takes 5,000 layers to pile one on the other to be equal to the width of a single human hair.
The ideal protective layer of the lithium metal anode requires chemical stability to prevent chemical reactions with the electrolyte and is mechanically sturdy to withstand the expansion of lithium during charging, said Cui Yi, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University.
Stanford nanosphere layer is made of amorphous carbon with stable chemical properties, however, it is powerful and flexible, so during the normal charging of the battery, it can move up and down freely with the expansion and contraction of lithiumDischarge cycle.
Of all the materials that may be used for the anode, lithium has the greatest potential.
Some people may call it the Holy Grail, Professor Cui said.
It is very light and has the highest energy density.
You can get a larger volume and power of weight to get a lighter, smaller, and more powerful battery.
Researcher Zheng Guangyuan added: "Many engineers have abandoned the search, but we have found a way to protect lithium from problems that have been bothering for so long.
Professor Cui said: "In fact, if we can increase the capacity of the battery to four times today, it will be exciting . "
"You may have a phone with double or triple battery life, or an electric car with a 300-mile range of just $25,000 (£14,700)-
Cui Tiankai says it competes with a 40-mile internal combustion engine.
The new invention could power the next generation of rechargeable batteries, he said.