Scientists and companies around the world are working to find the key component that improves battery performance. Which one has more ballots?.
Research focused on increasing the quality and duration of batteries has been going on for decades, but recently there has been a clear increase in interest from researchers and companies. Working for improvements, scientists experiment with a long list of components called to become the secret ingredient for batteries to last longer. Graphene, magnesium, variations based on lithium, sodium and even other candidates that may sound more surreal like beer or beach sand, among many others, star studios and advertisements.
"There are more and more portable devices and tools: vacuum cleaners, computers, telephones ..." explains Teknautas Carlos Roldán Porta, professor and director of the Department of Electrical Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, justifying the increase in research. "But it's mainly because of the proximity of the electric vehicle, which means there will be an immense market for batteries," adds the expert.
Zachary Favors, Scientific Director at NexTech Batteries, a startup focused on developing new batteries, and postdoctoral researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab also points to electric cars as one of the main reasons for this investigative peak. "Companies like Tesla have made batteries a bit 'sexy' for the first time in history, and researchers want to be part of that growing electrification of the world around us," he explains.
"Another reason for this popularity is the explosive growth in the field of nanotechnology, which has opened the door to countless advances and new materials in the field of energy storage," adds the researcher. In addition to working on the development of lithium-sulfide batteries one of the great hopes in the field of electric vehicles this scientist was the main signatory of the study that proposed beach sand as a possible solution to improve the duration of Lithium-ion batteries present on most of our mobile phones, laptops and music players.
Research focused on increasing the quality and duration of batteries has been going on for decades, but recently there has been a clear increase in interest from researchers and companies. Working for improvements, scientists experiment with a long list of components called to become the secret ingredient for batteries to last longer. Graphene, magnesium, variations based on lithium, sodium and even other candidates that may sound more surreal like beer or beach sand, among many others, star studios and advertisements.
"There are more and more portable devices and tools: vacuum cleaners, computers, telephones ..." explains Teknautas Carlos Roldán Porta, professor and director of the Department of Electrical Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, justifying the increase in research. "But it's mainly because of the proximity of the electric vehicle, which means there will be an immense market for batteries," adds the expert.
Zachary Favors, Scientific Director at NexTech Batteries, a startup focused on developing new batteries, and postdoctoral researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab also points to electric cars as one of the main reasons for this investigative peak. "Companies like Tesla have made batteries a bit 'sexy' for the first time in history, and researchers want to be part of that growing electrification of the world around us," he explains.
"Another reason for this popularity is the explosive growth in the field of nanotechnology, which has opened the door to countless advances and new materials in the field of energy storage," adds the researcher. In addition to working on the development of lithium-sulfide batteries one of the great hopes in the field of electric vehicles this scientist was the main signatory of the study that proposed beach sand as a possible solution to improve the duration of Lithium-ion batteries present on most of our mobile phones, laptops and music players.
The winning ingredient
Talking about a winning ingredient called to revolutionize the battery market is tremendously complicated. Rather, and according to researchers, different components will improve certain aspects. "If a company found something that would improve everything, all the characteristics of the battery, would revolutionize the market, and that is more difficult to produce," says Roldan.
Even so, there are materials with which progress is being made: "I believe that progressive improvements are being achieved. The batteries have improved compared to what they had a few years ago, "he adds. Favors shares his opinion and notes that it all depends on the application: "If we think of batteries for electric vehicles and aircraft, we are seeing the introduction of silicon oxide in the anodes and a continued reliance on cobalt and nickel based metal oxides for The cathodes, "says the researcher.
"In addition, lithium is gaining widespread attention as a possible successor to graphite at the anode, while materials such as metal oxides rich in sulfide and lithium metal are gaining popularity in research for cathodes," he adds.
For his part, Roldan admits that investigations with lithium are certainly interesting, but it is a metal more expensive than aluminum or sodium. "With the lithium batteries is progressing a lot. It improves aspects, like with a solid electrolyte instead of liquid that makes them safer, for example ". According to their point of view, the sodium batteries also look promising, although there are still no conclusive results that allow to affirm that they will replace others.
The professor also points to graphene as a possible engine of change. "It can play an important role in improving current batteries," he says. A great interest of the scientific world, which considers it the material of the future, and large injections of funding also point in that direction.
Along with these ingredients, which seem to be leading the battle for the materials of the future, there are others who also have options. "Although there are now things and materials that do not seem profitable, in a few years they may be. That's why it's hard to dismiss ideas, "he says. "I intuit that there are organic and lithium air batteries that may be important in the future, but now they are very green."
Ads for financing
Although in many cases the discoveries regarding batteries are in their early stages, the media announce from time to time something that seems destined to revolutionize the market: graphene, hydrogen, vanadium, magnesium and all kinds of organic materials from the Sugar to the remains of the beer seem to be at a certain time the great find.
Faced with this, both experts ask for patience. "Since the launch of an idea, based on laboratory results, and since it is said that it can be until it is commercial, there may be a period of five years and a great technological investment," explains the professor of the Polytechnic University From Valencia.
"Behind any innovation and any scientific commitment is always the risk that nothing comes out," adds Roldan. However, without means can not be reached until the end, so scientists need to publish studies and star headlines. "That's why a lot of people announce things that are not completely done, with the objective of attracting the economic investment", remarca.
However, there is still a long way to go. Batteries with lithium as the main component but in different versions, the still developing sodium batteries and materials such as graphene or magnesium will have to solve a long list of problems. "Current batteries have a number of drawbacks that limit their use: they are heavy, their useful life is short ...", quotes Roldan. It is also necessary to improve the charge density, that is, the amount of energy that is stored per kilogram of battery. "They are trying to weigh less, but they store the same energy," he adds.
In addition, they are also looking for faster loading especially for the vehicle market and extend their useful life in terms of the number of loading and unloading cycles. "In the field of portable electronics, the devices consume more energy year after year, because they increase their capacities and the power of computation", indicates Factors. "The development of the batteries will ensure that consumers do not experience shorter battery life and their devices do not burn."
Solving these problems is also to combat the use of fossil fuels. "One of the most important reasons for continuing research is climate change. The development of safer, longer-lasting and more energy-efficient batteries will allow electric cars to have the same scope and cost as those of internal combustion and that renewable energy can provide an increasing amount of clean and reliable energy for These work ", defends the scientist.
Many challenges and important reasons to continue with the research in a great obstacle course that, at least for the moment, does not have a clear favorite. If there was, the revolution would have started, our devices would be different and the main material would be on everyone's lips. Since this has not happened, we still have to wait.
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