The solid-state sulfur selenium battery has an energy density of 500 watt-hours per kilogram. (Image Credit: NASA)
It takes plenty of fuel for a plane to take off and fly, and they emit pollutants while in the air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, commercial air travel contributes to 10% of US transportation emissions and 3% of greenhouse gas emissions in the country. Now NASA has developed a solid-state sulfur selenium battery for airplanes, powering them with electricity.
Sure, we have electrical-powered airplanes, but they're not commonly used, and they can't match a combustion engine plane's speed or flight range. Also, electric batteries are less energy dense than gas types. Airplanes require an energy density of approximately 800 watt-hours per kilogram for takeoff, and the strongest ones, before NASA's battery, had an energy density of 250 watt-hours per kilogram.
Through its Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargability and Safety (SABERS) project, NASA has been making a power that powers a plane with the needed energy and efficiency. The space agency's selenium battery prototype is safer and stronger than lithium-ion batteries. It has an energy density of 500 watt-hours per kilogram, twice the amount found in standard lithium-ion batteries.
"SABERS continues to exceed its goals," said Rocco Viggiano, principal investigator for SABERS at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. "We're starting to approach this new frontier of battery research that could do so much more than lithium-ion batteries can. The possibilities are pretty incredible."
It can also discharge energy ten times faster compared to other solid-state batteries. However, that energy release could lead to temperatures spiking. NASA's team discovered that the battery can handle double the temperatures seen in lithium-ion batteries. Additionally, the batteries are 40% lighter than before they began the research efforts. Adding more small batteries to a plane would increase its fuel capacity.
We will not be seeing these batteries power airplanes anytime soon, of course. They're expensive to manufacture, and new components need to be rigorously tested before approval. This is still exciting since it could lead to revolutionizing air travel.
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