A concept of lithium and oxygen compounds encased in a lattice of cobalt oxide – the chemical energy generator that powers a novel lithium-oxygen electric car battery (MIT via Nature) Researchers at MIT, Argonne National Laboratory, and Peking University may have found a way to overcome the challenges of the lithium-air battery. The new technology is more lightweight batteries with twice the charge, and could be market ready as early as next year.
There’s no denying the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. Reducing carbon emissions without compromising our livelihoods, however, has proven difficult, but lithium-oxygen batteries may prove to be one of many solutions. New research conducted by MIT, Argonne National Laboratory and Peking University have found a way to reconfigure lithium-air batteries. The new technology is lightweight and holds twice the charge, which could revolutionize electric car mileage per charge.
Lithium-air batteries received rave reviews when the technology was first developed, for its ability to hold a longer charge than existing batteries, while being more lightweight. The batteries, however, exhibited major flaws, including rapid degradation and the emission of up to 30 percent of its energy storage as heat waste. In fact, if the batteries were charged too quickly, the heat emission could actually burn users. This conundrum prompted researchers to try a different way.
Lithium-air batteries are lightweight because the technology relies on oxygen from the air to trigger a chemical reaction that generates energy. Since it needs to interact with the air, the battery has an open design that could require significant automobile modifications to be safe for massive adoption. The new battery technology, however, places lithium and oxygen nanoparticles together in a cobalt oxide-sealed chamber that still triggers the same chemical reaction, but at a rate that is at least five times more energy efficient.
The new battery requires five times less voltage than the lithium-air battery, while maintaining its lightweight design. It is also resistant to carbon dioxide and moisture, since it is sealed, and could theoretically hold twice the charge as the standard electric battery, putting an end to range anxiety for good. If nothing else, a more lightweight battery would allow electric car drivers to get more mileage per charge, due to the decreased weight.
The battery is currently only live as a proof of concept, but researchers have plans to develop a market prototype within the next year. If it is rapidly accepted, we could see the batteries included in the 2018 upgraded electric automobile models – just in time for electric charging stations to make a debut at a gas station near you.
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