Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2015 14:24:35 GMT -5
Scientists invent aluminium battery that charges a phone in a minute
Stanford University scientists have invented a way to recharge a phone in minute using an aluminium battery
By Robert Midgley, words by NLK, video source Stanford University
7:02AM BST 07 Apr 2015
Comments3 Comments
The frustration of waiting hours for your smartphone or tablet to fully recharge could soon be a thing of the past - thanks to a new battery made from aluminium that can be charged in under one minute. It is both greener and safer, scientists said.
Conventional alkaline batteries are bad for the environment while lithium-ion batteries used in millions of laptops and smartphones can unexpectedly burst into flames and take a long time to charge.
In a breakthrough Stanford University has invented the first high-performance aluminium battery that is fast-charging, long-lasting and inexpensive. It is also flexible too so can be used in new folding devices in development.
However the only stumbling block is that it has just half the voltage of present lithium-ion batteries, the study published in the journal Nature revealed
Professor of chemistry Hongjie Dai said: "We have developed a rechargeable aluminium battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames
"Our new battery won't catch fire, even if you drill through it."
Aluminium is cheap and has low flammability and high-charge storage capacity.
But scientists have struggled to make a commercially viable aluminium-ion battery because of the difficulty in finding materials capable of producing sufficient voltage after repeated cycles of charging and discharging.
The aluminum-ion battery consists of two electrodes; a negatively charged anode made of aluminum and a positively charged graphite cathode along with an ionic liquid electrolyte, inside a flexible polymer-coated pouch.
Stanford graduate student Ming Gong added: "The electrolyte is basically a salt that's liquid at room temperature, so it's very safe. Lithium-ion batteries can be a fire hazard.
"In our study, we have videos showing that you can drill through the aluminium battery pouch, and it will continue working for a while longer without catching fire.
"But lithium batteries can go off in an unpredictable manner in the air, the car or in your pocket. Besides safety, we have achieved major breakthroughs in aluminium battery performance."
And while lithium-ion battery can take hours to charge, the new battery has "unprecedented charging times" of down to one minute.
Unlike other prototypes which die after just 100 charges, the Stanford battery can withstand more than 7,500 cycles without any loss of capacity.
By comparison, a typical lithium-ion battery lasts about 1,000 cycles.
Mr Gong added: "Another feature of the aluminum battery is flexibility.
"You can bend it and fold it, so it has the potential for use in flexible electronic devices. Aluminium is also a cheaper metal than lithium."
However at present the rechargeable aluminium battery generates about two volts of electricity, the highest achieved yet with aluminium."
Prof Dai said: "Our battery produces about half the voltage of a typical lithium battery.
"But improving the cathode material could eventually increase the voltage and energy density.
"Otherwise, our battery has everything else you'd dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility and long cycle life. I see this as a new battery in its early days. It's quite exciting."
www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/11518767/Scientists-invent-aluminium-battery-that-charges-a-phone-in-a-minute.html?WT.mc_id=e_DM9707&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FPM_New&utm_source=email&utm_medium=Edi_FPM_New_2015_04_07&utm_campaign=DM9707
What gets me is that I had to go all the way to England to read about this. Must not have hit the USA newsprint yet.
Stanford University scientists have invented a way to recharge a phone in minute using an aluminium battery
By Robert Midgley, words by NLK, video source Stanford University
7:02AM BST 07 Apr 2015
Comments3 Comments
The frustration of waiting hours for your smartphone or tablet to fully recharge could soon be a thing of the past - thanks to a new battery made from aluminium that can be charged in under one minute. It is both greener and safer, scientists said.
Conventional alkaline batteries are bad for the environment while lithium-ion batteries used in millions of laptops and smartphones can unexpectedly burst into flames and take a long time to charge.
In a breakthrough Stanford University has invented the first high-performance aluminium battery that is fast-charging, long-lasting and inexpensive. It is also flexible too so can be used in new folding devices in development.
However the only stumbling block is that it has just half the voltage of present lithium-ion batteries, the study published in the journal Nature revealed
Professor of chemistry Hongjie Dai said: "We have developed a rechargeable aluminium battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames
"Our new battery won't catch fire, even if you drill through it."
Aluminium is cheap and has low flammability and high-charge storage capacity.
But scientists have struggled to make a commercially viable aluminium-ion battery because of the difficulty in finding materials capable of producing sufficient voltage after repeated cycles of charging and discharging.
The aluminum-ion battery consists of two electrodes; a negatively charged anode made of aluminum and a positively charged graphite cathode along with an ionic liquid electrolyte, inside a flexible polymer-coated pouch.
Stanford graduate student Ming Gong added: "The electrolyte is basically a salt that's liquid at room temperature, so it's very safe. Lithium-ion batteries can be a fire hazard.
"In our study, we have videos showing that you can drill through the aluminium battery pouch, and it will continue working for a while longer without catching fire.
"But lithium batteries can go off in an unpredictable manner in the air, the car or in your pocket. Besides safety, we have achieved major breakthroughs in aluminium battery performance."
And while lithium-ion battery can take hours to charge, the new battery has "unprecedented charging times" of down to one minute.
Unlike other prototypes which die after just 100 charges, the Stanford battery can withstand more than 7,500 cycles without any loss of capacity.
By comparison, a typical lithium-ion battery lasts about 1,000 cycles.
Mr Gong added: "Another feature of the aluminum battery is flexibility.
"You can bend it and fold it, so it has the potential for use in flexible electronic devices. Aluminium is also a cheaper metal than lithium."
However at present the rechargeable aluminium battery generates about two volts of electricity, the highest achieved yet with aluminium."
Prof Dai said: "Our battery produces about half the voltage of a typical lithium battery.
"But improving the cathode material could eventually increase the voltage and energy density.
"Otherwise, our battery has everything else you'd dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility and long cycle life. I see this as a new battery in its early days. It's quite exciting."
www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/11518767/Scientists-invent-aluminium-battery-that-charges-a-phone-in-a-minute.html?WT.mc_id=e_DM9707&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FPM_New&utm_source=email&utm_medium=Edi_FPM_New_2015_04_07&utm_campaign=DM9707
What gets me is that I had to go all the way to England to read about this. Must not have hit the USA newsprint yet.
