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Super-powered battery breakthrough claimed by US team | Super-powered battery breakthrough claimed by US team |
(35 minutes later) | |
A new type of battery has been developed which its creators say could revolutionise the way we power consumer electronics and vehicles. | A new type of battery has been developed which its creators say could revolutionise the way we power consumer electronics and vehicles. |
The University of Illinois team says its use of 3D-electrodes allows it to build "microbatteries" that are many times smaller than commercially available options, or the same size and many times more powerful. | The University of Illinois team says its use of 3D-electrodes allows it to build "microbatteries" that are many times smaller than commercially available options, or the same size and many times more powerful. |
It adds they can be recharged 1,000 times faster than competing tech. | It adds they can be recharged 1,000 times faster than competing tech. |
However, safety issues still remain. | However, safety issues still remain. |
Details of the research are published in the journal Nature Communications. | Details of the research are published in the journal Nature Communications. |
Battery breakthrough | Battery breakthrough |
The researchers said their innovation should help address the issue that while smartphones and other gadgets have benefited from miniaturised electronics, battery advances have failed to pace. | The researchers said their innovation should help address the issue that while smartphones and other gadgets have benefited from miniaturised electronics, battery advances have failed to pace. |
Batteries work by having two components - called electrodes - where chemical reactions occur. | Batteries work by having two components - called electrodes - where chemical reactions occur. |
In simple terms, the anode is the electrode which releases electrons as a result of a chemical reaction. | |
The cathode is the electrode on the other side of the battery to which the electrons want to flow and be absorbed - but a third element, the electrolyte, blocks them from travelling directly. | |
When the battery is plugged into a device the electrons can flow through its circuits making the journey from one electrode to the other. | |
The scientists' "breakthrough" involved finding a new way to integrate the anode and cathode at the microscale. | |
"The battery electrodes have small intertwined fingers that reach into each other," project leader Prof William King told the BBC. | "The battery electrodes have small intertwined fingers that reach into each other," project leader Prof William King told the BBC. |
"That does a couple of things. It allows us to make the battery have a very high surface area even though the overall battery volume is extremely small. | "That does a couple of things. It allows us to make the battery have a very high surface area even though the overall battery volume is extremely small. |
"And it gets the two halves of the battery very close together so the ions and electrons do not have far to flow. | "And it gets the two halves of the battery very close together so the ions and electrons do not have far to flow. |
"Because we're reduced the flowing distance of the ions and electrons we can get the energy out much faster." | "Because we're reduced the flowing distance of the ions and electrons we can get the energy out much faster." |
Repeatable technique | Repeatable technique |
The battery cells were fabricated by adapting a process developed by another team at the university which is designed to make it faster to recharge the batteries than lithium ion (Li-on) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) equivalents. | The battery cells were fabricated by adapting a process developed by another team at the university which is designed to make it faster to recharge the batteries than lithium ion (Li-on) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) equivalents. |
It involves creating a lattice made out of tiny polystyrene spheres and then filling the space in and around the structure with metal. | It involves creating a lattice made out of tiny polystyrene spheres and then filling the space in and around the structure with metal. |
The spheres are then dissolved to leave a 3D-metal scaffold onto which a nickel-tin alloy is added to form the anode, and a mineral called manganese oxyhydroxide to form the cathode. | The spheres are then dissolved to leave a 3D-metal scaffold onto which a nickel-tin alloy is added to form the anode, and a mineral called manganese oxyhydroxide to form the cathode. |
Finally the glass surface onto which the apparatus was attached was immersed into a chemical liquid heated to 300C (572F). | Finally the glass surface onto which the apparatus was attached was immersed into a chemical liquid heated to 300C (572F). |
"Today we're making small numbers of these things in a boutique fabrication process, but while that's reliable and we can repeat it we need to be able to make large numbers of these things over large areas," said Prof King. | "Today we're making small numbers of these things in a boutique fabrication process, but while that's reliable and we can repeat it we need to be able to make large numbers of these things over large areas," said Prof King. |
"But in principle our technology is saleable all the way up to electronics and vehicles. | "But in principle our technology is saleable all the way up to electronics and vehicles. |
"You could replace your car battery with one of our batteries and it would be 10 times smaller, or 10 times more powerful. With that in mind you could jumpstart a car with the battery in your cell phone." | "You could replace your car battery with one of our batteries and it would be 10 times smaller, or 10 times more powerful. With that in mind you could jumpstart a car with the battery in your cell phone." |
Safety fear | Safety fear |
Other battery experts welcomed the teams efforts but said it could prove hard to bring the technology to market. | Other battery experts welcomed the teams efforts but said it could prove hard to bring the technology to market. |
"The challenge is to make a microbattery array that is robust enough and that does not have a single short circuit in the whole array via a process that can be scaled up cheaply," said Prof Clare Grey from the University of Cambridge's chemistry department. | "The challenge is to make a microbattery array that is robust enough and that does not have a single short circuit in the whole array via a process that can be scaled up cheaply," said Prof Clare Grey from the University of Cambridge's chemistry department. |
University of Oxford's Prof Peter Edwards - an expert in inorganic chemistry and energy - also expressed doubts. | University of Oxford's Prof Peter Edwards - an expert in inorganic chemistry and energy - also expressed doubts. |
"This is a very exciting development which demonstrates that high power densities are achievable by such innovations," he said. | "This is a very exciting development which demonstrates that high power densities are achievable by such innovations," he said. |
"The challenges are: scaling this up to manufacturing levels; developing a simpler fabrication route; and addressing safety issues. | "The challenges are: scaling this up to manufacturing levels; developing a simpler fabrication route; and addressing safety issues. |
"I'd want to know if these microbatteries would be more prone to the self-combustion issues that plagued lithium-cobalt oxide batteries which we've seen become an issue of concern with Boeing's Dreamliner jets." | "I'd want to know if these microbatteries would be more prone to the self-combustion issues that plagued lithium-cobalt oxide batteries which we've seen become an issue of concern with Boeing's Dreamliner jets." |
Prof King acknowledged that safety was an issue due to the fact the current electrolyte was a combustible liquid. | |
He said that in the test equipment only a microscopic amount of the liquid was used, making the risk of an explosion negligible - but if it were scaled up to large sizes the danger could become "significant". | He said that in the test equipment only a microscopic amount of the liquid was used, making the risk of an explosion negligible - but if it were scaled up to large sizes the danger could become "significant". |
However, he added that he soon planned to switch to a safer polymer-based electrolyte to address the issue. | However, he added that he soon planned to switch to a safer polymer-based electrolyte to address the issue. |
Prof King added that he hoped to have the technology ready to be trialled as a power source for electronic equipment before the end of the year. | Prof King added that he hoped to have the technology ready to be trialled as a power source for electronic equipment before the end of the year. |
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign team is one of several groups attempting to overhaul the way we power gadgets. | The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign team is one of several groups attempting to overhaul the way we power gadgets. |
Researchers in Texas are working on a kind of battery that can be spray-painted onto any surface while engineers at the University of Bedfordshire are exploring the idea of using radio waves as an energy source. | Researchers in Texas are working on a kind of battery that can be spray-painted onto any surface while engineers at the University of Bedfordshire are exploring the idea of using radio waves as an energy source. |