Article by Mobile Maiden

A team of scientists at the University of Illinois has possibly discovered a way to make cell phone batteries that don’t need charging for months at a time. The team believes their method will enable mobile phone and laptop batteries to last up to 100 times longer. According to Stephen Adams, The Telegraph, it focuses on changing the way a device’s digital memory works, as this consumes much of the charge. Feng Xiong, a graduate student on the team who was lead author on a paper, to be published in the journal Science, explained: “The energy consumption is essentially scaled with the volume of the memory bit. By using nanoscale contacts, we are able to achieve much smaller power consumption.”

Carbon Nanotubes Make Lighter, More Powerful Cell Phone Batteries

Another team at MIT is doing similar research. The discovery could lead to a new way of producing electricity, the researchers say. The main factor is again carbon nanotubes, submicroscopic hollow tubes made of a honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms. According to an article by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office, “Like a collection of flotsam propelled along the surface by waves traveling across the ocean, it turns out that a thermal wave — a moving pulse of heat — traveling along a microscopic wire can drive electrons along, creating an electrical current. The phenomenon, described as thermopower waves, “opens up a new area of energy research, which is rare,” says Michael Strano, MIT’s Charles and Hilda Roddey Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, who was the senior author of a paper describing the new findings that appeared in Nature Materials on March 7. The lead author was Wonjoon Choi, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering.”

Carbon nanotubes? It sounds like something out of a science fiction

Stanford scientists are doing the unbelievable. Who could have thought of ordinary papers as batteries and super capacitors? But Stanford scientists are harnessing nanotechnology to quickly create ultra-lightweight, bendable batteries and super capacitors utilizing everyday paper. They have prepared ink with of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. Silver nanowires are highly conductive storage device. They are coating the sheet of papers with ink of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires.

Yi Cui is the assistant professor of materials science and engineering. Cui’s work is published in the paper “Highly Conductive Paper for Energy Storage Devices.” It is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He states, “Society really needs a low-cost, high-performance energy storage device, such as batteries and simple supercapacitors.”

What is the difference between battery and capacitor? Batteries and capacitors both store electric charge. But capacitors hold it for a shorter duration than batteries. But, capacitors have an advantage. They can store and discharge electricity much more rapidly than a battery.

Cui says about the nanomaterials, “These nanomaterials are special. They’re a one-dimensional structure with very small diameters.” The small diameter is quite crucial because it helps the nanomaterial ink to stick strongly to the fibrous paper. This makes the battery and supercapacitor very durable. The paper supercapacitor can bear the 40,000 charge-discharge cycles. It’s better than lithium batteries as far as an order of magnitude is concerned. Cui explains that the nanomaterials also make ideal conductors because they move electricity along much more efficiently than ordinary conductors.

Bing Hu is a post-doctoral fellow. He put the above theory to practice. He took a small square of ordinary paper and dipped it with an ink. This deposited the nanotubes on the surface of the paper. This paper can then be charged with energy and viola! You are holding this wonder called paper battery.

Cui had previously experimented with plastic. He created plastic batteries using nano material. But he concluded that paper is a better option than plastic. Because, a paper battery is more long-lasting than plastic as ink sticks to paper more strongly. You can test the durability of paper batter by crumpling it, folding it or soaking it in acid or base, it’s performance will not deteriorate.

We all can conclude that paper battery will be more flexible than plastic one. By using that flexibility we can manoeuvre the battery in many possible ways. Cui explains, “If I want to paint my wall with a conducting energy storage device. I can use a brush.” Cui’s invention can be quite beneficial for electric or hybrid cars, because they demand quick transfer of electricity. The paper supercapacitor also enjoys the distinction of high surface-to-volume ratio. It will be advantageous for hybrid cars.

Peidong Yang is the professor of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley. He says, “This technology has potential to be commercialized within a short time. I don’t think it will be limited to just energy storage devices. This is potentially a very nice, low-cost, flexible electrode for any electrical device.”

Cui foresees the biggest use of his paper batteries in large-scale storage of electricity on the distribution grid. We all know that surplus electricity generated at night could be stored in these paper batteries and later on utilized during rush or peak hours. Energy of wind and solar farms can also be stored in these paper batteries.

I got hold of some 2600F capacitors that can dump hundreds of amps. Normally these are used in electric cars to handle sudden stops and starts. Instead, I use them to vaporize bits of metal, and show you the 3 most important capacitor equations along the way.

Batteries can be make for Batteries­.but could blood be used to power batteries?Batteries are pr­actically essential devices but present a whole ho­st of problems. Over time they can have trouble retaining a charge. Some stop working altogether. Others overheat or leak or even explode. They’re also rigid and sometimes bulky. Then how about, instead of your standard AA or lithium-ion, a flexible, incredibly thin battery that could be powered by blood or sweat? Seems like an improvement, right?­­

­A group of scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute claims they’ve created just such a battery, one that uses the electrolytes naturally found in bodily fluids. The results of the research, detailed in the Aug. 13, 2007, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are generating some excitement as part of a new crop of “bio-batteries” that run off of bodily fluids or other organic compounds.

The battery is not only as thin as paper; it essentially is paper. At least 90 percent of the battery is made from cellulose, which makes up traditional paper and other paper products . Aligned carbon nanotubes make up the other 10 percent, give the paper its conductive abilities and also make it black. The nanotubes are imprinted in the very fabric of the paper, creating what’s called a nanocomposite paper. One of the paper’s authors said that the battery “looks, feels and weighs the same as paper”.

Using nanotechnology, the battery’s small size, flexibility and replenishing electrolyte source — that is, as long as you eat — make it ideal for medical applications. When using the battery away from the human body, scientists soaked the paper in an ionic fluid , which provides the electrolytes.

The battery’s paper-like construction grants it significant flexibility. The RPI research team believes that the battery could, in the future, be printed in long sheets, which could then be cut into small, custom-shaped batteries. The nanocomposite paper can have holes poked in it or be cut into unusual shapes and continue to function. Several sheets could be lumped together to power medical implants, such as pacemakers, artificial hearts or advanced prosthetics. The battery would easily fit under the skin without causing any discomfort.

Because the ionic liquid used doesn’t freeze or evaporate like water, the battery could be employed at a wide range of temperatures: from -100 degrees Fahrenheit up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Its temperature resistance and light weight mean that manufacturers of automobiles and airplanes — both of which require light, durable materials — may come calling.

The researchers behind the battery claim that their device is unique because it can act “as both a high-energy battery and a high-power supercapacitor” . ­Supercapacitors allow for large, quick bursts of energy, potentially extending the technology’s already wide range of applications.

The battery, which is considered environmentally friendly because of its lack of chemicals and high cellulose content, was announced in the summer of 2007, but it may be years before it’s ready to stream off production lines in long sheets. The RPI research team says that, in the meantime, they’re trying to boost the battery’s efficiency and to figure out the best method for production.

Visit www.electroniclessons.com or engineeringshock.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

More Supercapacitor Battery Articles