There has been advances in battery technology from different institutions with interest in developing new battery
technology. Batteries are being developed to make them store more energy since
most or all the appliances we use today need to stay powered for longer in
between charging. The batteries are also being enhanced to ensure they charge
faster a challenge that faces some of the innovations such as electric powered
vehicles. Battery safety is also another
area being checked by the different research institutions. This is because
after the development of lithium ion batteries major safety issues have come
up. Different companies have been recalling back their products because of
battery malfunctions. Recently Boeing had an issue with the Li-ion batteries
powering its Dreamliner aircrafts. It is stated that the batteries are
susceptible to explosion because of the metallic section built into them which
ends up causing short circuits within the battery.
There different materials being looked at such as graphene
and sulphur. A grapheme based battery has been developed through collaboration
of three institutions namely: - Princeton University, Vorbeck Materials
Corporation and Pacific Northwest national laboratory (PNNL). The battery
developed has the ability to recharge in a few minutes.
Stretchable batteries made of lithium-ion have also been
developed which can also be recharged wirelessly. This new battery technology
can be fitted in a human body to power medical devices.
The combination of Lithium and sulphur instead of iron metal
has been slated as a game changer since it reduces the susceptibility of
battery malfunction. The battery is developed to become a lithium-sulphur
battery with sulphur forming the cathode. This battery has greater deep cycle
ability as it can keep charge for longer. This improves the prospects of
renewable energy such as solar energy which is challenged by the ability of
batteries to keep charge.
At Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) scientists Chengdu
Liang, Zhan Lin, Zengcai Liu, Wujun Fu and Nancy Dudney have developed new
battery technology which is all solid sulphur that they state outperforms
lithium-ion. The battery addresses the combustion issue and energy density
issues presented by the Li-ion battery technology. The other advantage is
sulphur being a byproduct in petroleum industries is plentiful and atleast now
a use for it will be found and as the lead scientist Liang stated “sulphur is
practically free”. Sulphur has greater capacity to keep charge or store more
energy and thus presents more opportunities for renewable energy technologies.
There are many other technologies being developed each day
and although this is not an exhaustive list, we will continue researching and
updating this article with the latest in battery technology. You are invited to
keep checking from time to time or subscribe for updates.
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