Microbattery uses its own packaging to store four times the energy
One of the many interesting areas of cutting-edge battery research involves the idea of using structural components to also store energy. We've seen how this could be applied to electric vehicles and gear for soldiers as a way of saving weight, and now scientists have applied this type of thinking to microbatteries light enough to be carried by insects that pack up to four times the energy density as a result.
The research was carried out by engineers at the University of Pennsylvania, who were investigating new designs for batteries that are compact and durable enough to power increasingly small wearables and electronic devices. To keep these types of devices running, the batteries need to be protected from damage by impacts, water and oxygen, but this involves casing that adds to their weight and size, while doing nothing for their electrochemical performance.
To overcome this limitation, the scientists reimagined the way tiny batteries are typically designed. These devices usually feature ultra-thin electrodes that allow for fast transport of electrons and ions, but this slim profile limits the amount of chemicals they can contain, and therefore the amount of energy they can store.
Cathodes are one of a battery's two electrodes, and are typically made of crushed particles that are compressed together in a way that creates a porous structure with air gaps, which influences the speed ions can move through the battery. The scientists overcome this problem by developing a far denser cathode material that could be "electroplated" directly onto thin metal foils, which also act as the casing.
“We essentially made current collectors that perform double duty,” says study leader James Pikul. “They act as both an electron conductor and as the packaging that prevents water and oxygen from getting into the battery.”
According to the researchers, this microbattery design also aligns the cathode's "atomic highways", which allows lithium ions to travel quickly and directly through the cathode and into the device. Because the ions can travel far more efficiently through the cathode, it can be made far thicker without compromising on this key attribute, which in turn doubles the amount of energy-storing chemicals it can contain.
Ultimately, this allows for a microbattery with an energy density four times that of the current-state-of-the-art designs. The tiny battery weighs the same as two grains of rice but has the energy and power density of a battery 100 times its size, and the researchers imagine it finding use in a number of areas. These include tiny flying robots, wearables, medical implants that offer longer lifespans, or the countless wireless devices that make up the Internet of Things.
In the meantime, the scientists are continuing to study the chemical and physical makeup of their novel battery as they work to improve its performance.
The research was published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Source: University of Pennsylvania
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
- Wordle today: The answer and hints for August 29
- 震后宝兴发放首批创业小额贷款111万元助21名受灾群众创业
- The biggest asteroids to ever hit Earth were terrifying
- NK claims dam collapse in Ukraine occurred with Washington, Kyiv in 'cahoots'
- Deceased K
- Top 10 Most Significant Nvidia GPUs of All Time
- 小记者义卖报纸 为留守学生送“六一”礼物
- NK announces freeze on nuclear, missile tests
- The U.S. wants access to tech data stored in the U.K.
- Get Thee to Totality: Chicago
- Millie Bobby Brown still stuns as Eleven in 'Stranger Things 2'
- UNSC virtually 'paralyzed' in dealing with NK provocations: FM
- Dolly Parton read the UK a bedtime story and she's now a national hero
-
Input devices like keyboards have a key role in the computing and gaming landscape, so the guts of t ...[详细]
-
The Webb telescope just looked inside our galaxy's core. It's wild.
The James Webb Space Telescope peers at some of the most distant galaxies in the universe. Now, it's ...[详细] -
Jack Dorsey exits Twitter's board of directors
The bearded one has cut all ties with Twitter.On Wednesday, former co-founder andformer CEO of Twitt ...[详细] -
NASA captured this enormous sunspot group in images
NASA scientists studying the sun have detected an enormous group of darkened patches in the middle o ...[详细] -
13 Unbelievable Underwater Wonders in Florida
A must for any aquatic adventurer is a visit to the City of Mermaids at Weeki Wachee, which offers a ...[详细] -
Apple's iPhone might finally ditch Lightning for USB
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Apple will finally start shipping its iPhone with a USB-C i ...[详细] -
Koreas to open hotline between leaders Friday
The two Koreas will open a direct telephone line between the countries' leaders on Friday ahead of t ...[详细] -
雅安日报讯13日,雅安日报小记者团汉源站的小记者们在汉源县楚源大道、文化大厦等地义卖雅安日报,计划在“六一”儿童节来临之际,用募捐来的钱购买学习用品,给汉源县片马中心校的留守学生送去节日礼物。当天,雅 ...[详细]
-
Fiction ...[详细]
-
north korea, kim jong un, russia, humanitarian assistance, food shortages, vladimir putin
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves as he boards his train at a railway station in the town of Art ...[详细]
- Best Labor Day mattress deals in 2024
- 李建中:让每分善款都落到急需帮助的人身上
- You've got to see Webb telescope's eerie view of the Crab Nebula
- People are outraged that Sophia the robot has more rights than most women in Saudi Arabia
- I went to an offline dating event for singles. Here's how it went.
- Android Auto gets split screen mode, always
- Sancho shines as Dortmund deny Bayern fourth straight Super Cup