Saying goodbye to batteries

[997440]

Researchers at MIT are developing a new device that has the potential to hold as much energy as a conventional battery but could be recharged in seconds rather than hours, would last almost indefinitely, and won’t mind the cold. The device could prove the first economically viable alternative to today’s battery. It could one day yield a practical all-electric car and provide electricity storage critical to using intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind.
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Conventional batteries store energy by using chemical reactions to trap ions that move from one electrode to the other. Batteries have a huge storage capacity, but—because of the chemistry involved—electricity can go in and out only so fast, and some is lost as heat.

In contrast, capacitors store energy in an electric field. The absence of chemical reactions has advantages. Capacitors can deliver energy quickly, and they can be charged up in minutes or even seconds. They can withstand temperature changes, shocks, and vibrations. And they can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times before they wear out. They’re thus much easier on the environment than today’s batteries, which must be tossed out after a few hundred charges.
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Schindall expects to have a working prototype finished in the next few months. If all goes well, the new nanotube-enhanced ultracapacitor could be on the market within five to ten years.

http://web.mit.edu/erc/spotlights/ultracapacitor.html

 

[JamesMike]

Hopefully it come to being.

 

[satcomer]

I learned over the years in the tech or science field to not believe it intil it is actually sold! To many articles seem to be thinly valed attempts to get funding of their projects!

 

[997440]

I learned over the years in the tech or science field to not believe it intil it is actually sold!

Absolutely. When/if the next big battery tech comes, it'll be a widespread market changer. Medical and consumer markets are wanting.

To many articles seem to be thinly valed attempts to get funding of their projects!

There's that and sometimes people are just a bit too over-exuberant or their discovery is eclipsed by a better understanding.

There's been a bunch of news about batteries over the past few years, nano tech in particular; the theorized sizes and longevities are enticing. But there's also a couple of 'different' ones in the modified lithium configuration :

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The UC research team has developed a new kind of lithium-ion battery anode using portobello mushrooms, which could eventually replace the industry standard of synthetic graphite. Besides being less expensive and eco-friendlier, the mushrooms are potentially more efficient as well, thanks to their highly porous composition.
The development could have a fairly big impact in multiple industries, actually. We’re likely to be using a lot more batteries in coming years, particularly in consumer electronics and electric vehicles. By using biological materials, we can bring down costs and expend less energy in the manufacturing process.
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http://news.discovery.com/tech/alte...teries-through-mushroom-technology-150930.htm

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The researchers were hunting for an alternative to lithium, whose liquid state helps conduct charge but is combustible and sensitive to temperature. Nanowires have been a long-theorized dream battery material as their high surface area holds a lot of electric charge, but wire corrodes in traditional lithium environments after several thousand cycles.
The researchers discovered how to prevent that corrosion while fiddling with different materials. They coated the gold nanowire they were using in manganese dioxide and swapped the lithium for electrolyte gel. The gel and oxide fused into a protective sheath around the wire, and voila: the experimental battery completed hundreds of thousands of cycles over a period of three months with no detectable degradation.
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http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/22/accidental-discovery-batteries-last-years-longer/

 

[boast]

I thought we were going to see those hydrogen batteries on the next iPhone