This is Jordi Cabana, UIC assistant professor of chemistry. Credit: Photo: Joshua Clark.
Posted on 04/17/2015 2:27:18 PM PDT by Red Badger
The race is on around the world as scientists strive to develop a new generation of batteries that can perform beyond the limits of the current lithium-ion based battery. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have taken a significant step toward the development of a battery that could outperform the lithium-ion technology used in electric cars such as the Chevy Volt.
They have shown they can replace the lithium ions, each of which carries a single positive charge, with magnesium ions, which have a plus-two charge, in battery-like chemical reactions, using an electrode with a structure like those in many of today's devices.
"Because magnesium is an ion that carries two positive charges, every time we introduce a magnesium ion in the structure of the battery material we can move twice as many electrons," says Jordi Cabana, UIC assistant professor of chemistry and principal investigator on the study.
"We hope that this work will open a credible design path for a new class of high-voltage, high-energy batteries," Cabana said.
The research is part of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, a Department of Energy Innovation Hub led by Argonne National Laboratory, that aims to achieve revolutionary advances in battery performance. The study is online in advance of print in the journal Advanced Materials.
Every battery consists of a positive and negative electrode and an electrolyte. The electrodes exchange electrons and ions, which are usually of positive charge. Only the ions flow through the electrolyte, which is an electric insulator so as to force the electrons to flow through the external circuit to power the vehicle or device.
To recharge the battery, the exchange is reversed. But the chemical reaction is not perfectly efficient, which limits how many times the battery can be recharged.
"The more times you can do this back and forth, the more times you will be able to recharge your battery and still get the use of it between charges," Cabana said. "In our case, we want to maximize the number of electrons moved per ion, because ions distort the structure of the electrode material when they go in or leave. The more the structure is distorted, the greater the energy cost of moving the ions back, the harder it becomes to recharge the battery."
"Like a parking garage, there are only so many spaces for the cars," Cabana said. "But you can put a car in each space with more people inside without distorting the structure."
Having established that magnesium can be reversibly inserted into electrode material's structure brings us one step closer to a prototype, said Cabana.
"It's not a battery yet, it's piece of a battery, but with the same reaction you would find in the final device," said Cabana.
Explore further: New device takes images of lithium battery as it works and recharges
Journal reference: Advanced Materials search and more info website
This is Jordi Cabana, UIC assistant professor of chemistry. Credit: Photo: Joshua Clark.
Battery Technology Ping!...............
I wonder if this isnt the same group who at least a year ago... were supposed to be developing a battery that would charge several hundred times faster that todays battery...
Whoever comes up with a FAST rechargeable battery that doesn’t deteriorate and has enough energy storage capacity for a car to go 200-300 miles on a charge will be a gazillionaire..................
Yet another example of, “White Privilege”! They couldn’t find a transgendered, person of non white color from the 56 categories of gender?
I’m shocked that once again, we have to bow down to the white male to get something that will save Gaea.
Cool plan though!!! Someone mentioned charging speed and they’re correct. Even if you could only go 50 miles between charges, if you could recharge in five minutes, the person who comes up with that will be able to print money or bitcoins!
I hope this isn’t the last we hear of this.
I demand as rechargeable battery that will last a year between charges- aqnd cost juts pennies- and charge in under 10 seconds, and make me dinner
But then those parking cars, if they are environmentally safe, will also be battery powered meaning that each parking car will have a swarm of parking cars inside itself as well.
As you can see this leads to an infinite regress which is never a good thing.
I'm just guessing, but I bet his nickname is 'Coca'.
why not Copa?
Because it’s late in the afternoon and the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.
About 4 decades ago I built an electric motorcycle. But the lead/acid battery pack made it useful in too limited a way. The battery guys at the time weren’t willing to help much so I mothballed the project. I always thot chemical storage of electricity was the wrong way to go. Rather using a method more like a capacitor would have given the quick charge necessary to be practical. But I don’t have time to do everything. So I’ll still drive punched out big blocks until I get some help.
The fires should be spectacular
Fractal battery.......
LOL!!!!!.......
I would think it would be ‘Leforge’.......
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