Phys.org September 30, 2022 Researchers in China prepared an integrated air electrode with highly ordered channels. They observed morphological composition and distribution of Li2O2 inside the real air electrode. The results showed that the toroidal Li2O2 was constrained by the channel size and exhibited a larger diameter on the separator side at high currents. The coupling effects of charge transfer impedance and concentration polarization on sudden death were analyzed in-depth at low and high currents. The growth model suggested that toroidal Li2O2 exhibited a high dependence on the electrode surface structure. They proposed a new route where the Li2O2/electrode interface […]
Category Archives: Battery technology
New stable quantum batteries can reliably store energy into electromagnetic fields
Phys.org August 24, 2022 An international team of researchers (Italy, South Korea) revisited micromaser, a quantum mechanical system, that has been studied heavily in the past. They showed that micromasers have features that allow them to serve as excellent models of quantum batteries. However, one of the main concerns was that using electromagnetic field to store energy is that in principle, the electromagnetic field could absorb an enormous amount of energy. But their numerical results showed that this cannot happen in micromasers, the electromagnetic field reaches a steady state, and its energy can be determined and decided a priori when […]
New faster charging hydrogen fuel cell developed
Science Daily August 12, 2022 Metal hydrides (MH) have large hydrogen storage capacity, low operating pressure, and high safety. However, their slow hydrogen absorption kinetics significantly decreases storage performance. Researchers in Australia designed and optimized a semi-cylindrical coil for hydrogen storage and embedded it as an internal heat exchanger with air as the heat transfer fluid (HTF). They analyzed and compared it with normal helical coil geometry, based on various pitch sizes, investigated the operating parameters of MH storage and HTF to obtain optimal values. Results from this study demonstrated that MH storage performance is significantly improved by using a […]
Microbatteries much smaller than a grain of rice for a smart dust future
Nanowerk August 5, 2022 Researchers in Germany have developed an on-chip Swiss-roll current collector made via the micro-origami process and infused it with a MnO2 slurry comprising a zincophilic binder. The zincophilic binder layer enhances zinc ion transportability and suppresses MnO2 dissolution. The MnO2 Swiss-roll microelectrode is used to create an on-chip microbattery with a small electrode footprint area which shows a footprint capacity up to 3.3 mAh cm–2 and has a capacity of more than 1 mAh cm–2 for 150 cycles. According to the researchers the battery stability can be improved to over 600 cycles at a 50% depth […]
Affordable and sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries proposed
Science Daily August 2, 2022 Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute proposed using calcium ions as an alternative to lithium-ions in batteries because of inexpensive, abundant, safe, and sustainable battery chemistry that uses calcium ions in an aqueous, water-based electrolyte. They demonstrated the battery using orthorhombic and trigonal polymorphs of molybdenum vanadium oxide (MoVO) as a host for calcium ions. As calcium ion is divalent, one ion insertion will deliver two electrons per ion during battery operation allowing for a highly efficient battery with reduced mass and volume of calcium ions. However, the higher ionic charge and the larger size of […]
A paper battery with water switch
Nanowerk July 29, 2022 Researchers in Switzerland have developed a disposable paper battery aiming to reduce the environmental impact of single-use electronics for applications such as point of care diagnosis, smart packaging, and environmental sensing. The battery uses Zinc as a biodegradable metal anode, graphite as a nontoxic cathode material and paper as a biodegradable substrate. To facilitate additive manufacturing, they developed electrodes and current collector inks that can be stencil printed on paper to create water-activated batteries of arbitrary shape and size. The battery remains inactive until water is provided and absorbed by the paper substrate, taking advantage of […]
Researchers develop nanoporous zinc electrodes that make primary alkaline zinc batteries rechargeable
Science Daily July 25, 2022 Alkaline Zn batteries have limited rechargeability. The short cycle life is caused by the transition between metallic Zn and ZnO, whose differences in electronic conductivity, chemical reactivity, and morphology undermine uniform electrochemical reactions and electrode structural stability. To address this an international team of researchers (Hong Kong, USA- Georgia Institute of Technology, China) has proposed an electrode design with bi-continuous metallic zinc nanoporous structures capable of stabilizing the electrochemical transition between metallic Zn and ZnO. Via in situ optical microscopy and electrochemical impedance measurements, they demonstrated the kinetics-controlled structural evolution of Zn and ZnO. In […]
Longer lasting sodium-ion batteries on the horizon
Science Daily July 13, 2022 The severe instability of the solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed during repeated cycling in sodium ion batteries (NIBs) hinders their development. In particular, the SEI dissolution in NIBs with a high-voltage cathode is more severe than in the case of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and leads to continuous side reactions, electrolyte depletion and irreversible capacity loss, making NIBs less stable than LIBs. A team of researchers in the US (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Washington) developed a rational electrolyte design to suppress the SEI dissolution and enhance NIB performance. Their electrolyte lowered the solvation ability for […]
These energy-packed batteries work well in extreme cold and heat
EurekAlert July 4, 2022 Researchers at UC San Diego have developed an electrolyte that is not only versatile and robust throughout a wide temperature range, but also compatible with a high energy anode and cathode. It is made of a liquid solution of dibutyl ether mixed with a lithium salt, and compatible with a lithium-sulfur battery. The electrolyte helps improve both the cathode side and anode side while providing high conductivity and interfacial stability. They engineered the sulfur cathode to be more stable by grafting it to a polymer. In tests, the proof-of-concept batteries retained 87.5% and 115.9% of their […]
Dual membrane offers hope for long-term energy storage
Science Daily May 3, 2022 Polysulfide-air redox flow batteries demonstrated great potential for long-duration energy storage technologies that can be deployed at grid scale. However, the crossover of polysulfide is one significant challenge. Researchers in the UK have developed a stable and cost-effective alkaline-based hybrid polysulfide-air redox flow battery where a dual-membrane-structured flow cell design mitigates the sulfur crossover issue. Moreover, combining manganese/carbon catalyzed air electrodes with sulfidated Ni foam polysulfide electrodes, the redox flow battery achieves a maximum power density of 5.8 mW cm−2 at 50% state of charge and 55 °C. Compared with the best results obtained to date […]