Battery Efficiency

Battery Efficiency

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Abstract

Increasing energy efficiency in electrical devices has been a great obstacle to scientists. It has increased improvements according to some scientist, but to others, it has shown that it there is much to be done in terms of technological challenges. Therefore, this paper tries to look at the recent innovation in nanotechnology that could be used in a new era in the production of energy efficient batteries. The new batteries are very energy efficient, although the asked items need to be addressed. This is because the balance between high performance rate and the longer time for charging will continue to be an obstacle if these issues are not dealt with. Nevertheless, innovation by Braun is a fundamental step in the application of nanotechnology in solving the issues of energy inefficiency in batteries.

Battery Efficiency

The problem of raising energy efficiency in electrical devices has been an obstacle to scientists for a very long time. It has enhanced improvements according to some scientist, but to others, it has shown that there is much to be done in terms of technological challenges. Therefore, this paper tries to look at the recent innovation in nanotechnology that could roll out a new era in the production of energy efficient batteries. However, even though there have some innovations, there are some issues or obstacles, which need to be overcome.

According to the research carried from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Professor Paul Braun established batteries that are similar to others although with inherent capabilities that cannot be surpassed by others. The professor and his team developed a three dimensional (3D) nanostructures for creating battery cathodes which facilitates faster charging or discharging without interfering with the stored energy. The results of research were published on 20 March in the journal articles in Nature Nanotechnology online version. Despite of using these batteries in various electronics, they have the capability to release energy first enough and to be recharged in few second. These types of batteries are extremely suitable to be used in medical devices, electric mobiles, military, and laser applications. It is noted that this type of innovation could be of great value in making phones that charge in few seconds or laptops that take minutes to charge.

There are varieties of sentiments that have been recognized by a good number of stakeholders from the innovation of the efficiency batteries. Professor Braun who specializes in material science commented that the system presented to us provides capacitor-like power with battery –like-energy. He says further that the efficiency of energy storage in capacitors is low. They dissipate the energy fast and while holding is not proportional. The universal rule of batteries are they realease energy fast but not proportionally in charging.

As away of acknowledging the level of innovation that has been offered by Braun’s team, distinguishing between the charging capacity of the new invention and that of a normal battery would be a great step. Although capacitors are easier to charge and discharge, they cannot be used reliably in supplying larger amounts of power since their charges are only held on the surface metallic plates, which provide limited storage. On the contrary, batteries have a greater storage capacity within them in their cathodes made of oxides of phosphate compounds. However, given the fact that these compounds are not good conductors of electricity, charging or discharging a battery is time consuming. “Typical nickel metal hydride (Name) or Lithium ion( Li-ion) rechargeable batteries exhibit significant degradation of performance following constant charging and discharging” (Zhang, Yu & Braun,2011). Batteries that contain lithium ion are very significant in our current generation because these types of batteries are energy efficiency over those with (NiMH) lower discharge rates. This means that they take a long period before loosing being charged again. Although there are invention and innovations over the new technology on batteries, it is also becoming extremely dangerous to pack a large quantity of energy into a very small space. For instance, this could lead to exploding of the batteries or of the devices where the batteries are being used on like laptops.

Studies have tried for many years to solve this obstacle by integrating electric conductors in the cathode compounds. Nevertheless, this limits the capacity of the battery by reducing the volume of the materials used. Paul Braun, a material scientist at the University of Illinois had a novel idea of going round this problem according to the studies published in March’s nature Nanotechnology. They came up with nano metallic structure, which had very many tiny cervices that could allow refilling with materials for storing charges. They later realized that it reduces the distance taken by electrons to reach the metallic plates for external conduction (Cartridge, 2011).

The batteries electrodes were made with the use of minute polystyrene spheres applied on the surface 100 nanometers across. These spheres were later packed into a rectangular structure containing gaps between them, laced with nickel, and then dipped in polystyrene. Lastly, a structure of a 3D metal device had to be remolded to increase its metallic component to six percent of the volume used. The polystyrene spheres automatically set themselves in place, despite the fact that trying to set up a uniform lattice structure through other strategies is quite hard and tiresome.

This type of technique was used in making cathodes for metal hydride batteries, in particular those having lithium or nickel ions used in a number of appliances like laptops and cell phones. Because of their greater electric potential, there is high possibility of these batteries to be used in electrical automobiles. It is noted that a good number of electric automobiles are limited by the battery’s short life and recharging time. For example, traveling over long distance journeys requires constant recharging for long hours to enable the battery last for at least 100 miles (Cartlidge, 2011).

According to Braun’s observation, if a person had the choice of charging the battery the same time it takes to fuel a car, they would take that option (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagn, 2011, par.8.). The research emphasizes the durability and potency of the Lithium-ion battery than any device in the current market. This is evidenced in the hundred fold charging and discharging ability of the battery. It is more spacious in terms of energy storage in that it can store and extra fifth. This has been an incentive to developers and researchers to incorporate the technology into commercial production of batteries.

Upgrading the manufacturing technology in batteries is necessary to incorporate the required increase in size from the conventional watch-size (Cartlidge, 2011). There still exists a vacuum in the chemical technology need to develop such a battery to make it universal. To support the notion, Braun emphasizes the technology is not new but rather an improvement of the subsequent technologies. (University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, 2011, par 14).

Braun’s innovation was welcomed with criticism from different researchers such as Yury Gogotsi a material scientist at the Drexel University Philadelphia. Braun’s innovation was a great stepping-stone in the use of available resources. However, the batteries` ability to withstand charging and discharging from time to time is still questionable (Besenhard, 1999).Yury Gogotsi also criticizes the idea of scaling up because the new battery is most likely to be advantageous for high rate performance, therefore, efforts should be summed up in creating a 3D electrodes. Another challenge according to Yury concerning Braun’s new concept is idea of charging equation, since it needs a lot of carrying capacity of amperes in order for it to be conducted through reduction of cable mass and increase of charging time. Where longer charging time will assist in reducing the mass of the cables used (Cartildge, 2011).

It is true to say that the new batteries are very energy conserving and efficient, but the question asked by the critics needs to addressed. The balance between high performance rate and the longer time for charging will continue to be an obstacle if these issues are not dealt with. Nevertheless, innovation by Braun is a fundamental step in the application of nanotechnology in solving the issues of energy inefficiency in batteries.

The problem of raising energy efficiency in electrical devices has been an obstacle to scientists for a very long time. It has enhanced improvements according to some scientist, but to others, it has shown that it there is much to be done in terms of technological challenges. Therefore, this paper tries to look at the recent innovation in nanotechnology that could roll out a new era in the production of energy efficient batteries. However, even though there have some innovations, there are some issues or obstacle, which needs to be overcome. For instance, although there are invention and innovations over the new technology on batteries, it is very dangerous to pack a large quantity of energy into a very small space. It is advisable that when choosing a battery to make comparison before taking. For instance, larger, and heavy batteries provides a greater watt-hour rating. Therefore, for mobile users, it is to a great advantage to have batteries that can last for more than five hours without recharging in between. This can be great especially when traveling long distances.

References

Besenhard, J. (1999).Handbook of battery materials. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.

Cartlidge, E. (2011). A Battery That Charges in Seconds. Science Now. Retrieved from

second.html?ref=hp

Evans, R. (2007).Fueling our future: an introduction to sustainable energy. New York, NY: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Lenk, D. (1996). Simplified design of micropower and battery circuits. New York, NY: Newnes.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2011, March 21). Batteries charge quickly and retain capacity, thanks to new structure. Science Daily. Retrieved from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:PstlIecxE34J:www.sciencedaily.com

Zhang,H., Yu, X., & Braun, P.(2011). Three-dimensional bicontinuous ultrafast-charge and discharge bulk battery electrodes. Nature Nanotechnology, 5 (3), 4-45.