Posted on 03/03/2020 9:34:39 AM PST by Jonty30
Lithium is expensive, environmentally questionable in large volumes, and tends to catch on fire from time to time. It's the best solution we've currently got for EV and device battery storage, but other alternatives are starting to surface, and one that could actually make a fair bit of sense is the potassium metal battery.
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Though I don't believe that hydrocarbon by-products are pollutants.
Would not Potassium also be flammable?
I think the whole battery would be contained to prevent potassium from being exposed to air.
pffft- wake me when they invent a perpetual battery hat recharges itself without any juice- and lasts 10 or more years-
Seriously though- hope this new battery isn’t as potentially flammable as the lithium? Always nervous about recharging batteries and walking off while they recharge-
Yep. As is elemental Sodium. Lithium, sodium, potassium are all in the same far-left coulm of the periodic table, having exactly one extra electron in their outer shell, and therefore highly chemically reactive.
Toss into water, and hydrogen gas will be released as the Potassium reacts with the water. The stuff pyrotechnic geeks dream of.
Throw metallic potassium in water for your answer.
Made me laugh.
Sodium metal is a real blast too.
Sodium metal is a real blast too.
These are among my favorite threads on FR. Technology continues to advance at a breathtaking pace and while we often express skepticism at the headlines or claims contained therein, there are new ideas that will incrementally or fundamentally make our lives better.
On a side note, I am worried about lithium leeching into our groundwater from landfills. An element prescribed for mental illness seems more threatening in our tap water than flouride, but what do I know?
Nuclear batteries have been around for awhile.
“Always nervous about recharging batteries and walking off while they recharge-”
I would guess many of us plug our phones in at night to recharge.
“I think the whole battery would be contained to prevent potassium from being exposed to air.”
I was thinking too... explosive indeed.
Lithium, Iron, Phosphate batteries are fantastic, self contained (no outgassing) and can be taken to < 1% charge with NO ill effects.
Additionally they charge to 100% quickly (lead acid & AGM batteries do not like to go below 50% and slow charge from 85% to 100%).
Their initial cost is defrayed by a 5,000 charge cycle.
Buy American:
https://battlebornbatteries.com
that’s something else i don’t like doing- plugging in overnight- I just get nervous about it- it just adds more risk to a house where any electrical outlet could be faulty- cause fire, or plug or the wiring on something is faulty, lights can be dangerous etc- We’ve had a couple of wall outlets that were faulty and nearly caused fires when things like a heater were plugged in, or air conditioner- and a couple of power strips that nearly caught on fire- just a lot can go wrong in a house- adding all these charging items like phones, tablets, etc- just increases risk- I know we can’t live in fear- but we can do things to lessen a risk too- which is why i will only recharge if I’m around kinase something goes wrong-
medicine also continues at impressive speed- Israel announcing possible cures for many types of cancer- a coronovirus vaccine, diabetes cure possibly- They are years away- but just thinking about the possibilities is exciting for some really major diseases- They even have a new very promising prospect for pancreatic cancer- where the treatment ONLY affects the cancer cells, and stops their multiplying- and have a supposed 90%+ success rate in animals- Hope that translates to humans as well- such a devastating cancer-
Its convenient to have one of those ‘temp’ guns around. That’s what I call the InfraRed digital readers, Lowes had them for $30. Aim and read. You look for elevated temps around outlets and cords at the plug spot.
YEs, but no worse than lithium. Fun thing in high school chemistry was to throw a little piece of potassium in water (utill the teacher caught us)
Why the term — self-healing ?
Well as a contractor I’ve had Dewalt batteries in Milwaukee batteries now for a number of years
And I’ve noticed that the new lithium batteries they came out with about five years ago have no memory - you can leave them without charge for days and they’ll charge right back up and be happy
whereas the old Nicad ones would have a memory and would fade if you didn’t treat them nicely
Now I wouldn’t be fooled by any of these scientific folks coming out with their BS
And this applies across the board in terms of science and scientific breakthroughs
If any of these scientific breakthroughs have merit engineers like myself will take them and turn them into real products that have value in the real world and will be useful and you will see them that way
Manny Manny Manny folks in the scientific community put out technical papers saying they found this your dad that’s going to change the whole world and they’re really just looking for research dollars
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