Since mobile phones became popular, the importance of rechargeable electric batteries has been growing steadily around the world. According to Wikipedia, in 2013, there were an estimated 6.8 billion mobile phones in use worldwide (including smartphones) and 97 out of 100 people in the world owned at least one mobile phone. These numbers include some of the poorest among us. While a large number of users don’t go beyond making simple voice calls (and infrequent text messages), the availability of great, easy-to-use, free ‘apps’ (or apps) growing in variety and number day by day, it is gradually attracting many in this category to become ‘top’ mobile phone users. Many people who use PCs as their primary computing device today, aware that PCs will soon give way to prominence in the computing world, are also beginning to switch to smartphones. These factors are expected to lead to a 35% increase in the number of smartphone users by 2020 (or 9.2 billion users worldwide).
As smartphones get thinner, lighter, smarter, use bigger screens, etc., they also consume more power. Hence, the critical need for high-capacity, super-fast charging batteries that can be recharged a large number of times before being discarded, for the success of future smartphones.
There are also other important applications that depend on fast-charging batteries for their well-being. One is the highly celebrated electric vehicle (EV) industry. Users expect the battery recharging time to be comparable to the time it would take to refuel at a gas station today, that is, on the order of 4-5 minutes. Another very important application is in smart grids, those smart electrical energy management stations, where the inputs and outputs of electricity to users are managed. Large capacity, fast charge / discharge batteries are required to store surplus energy (as long as input exceeds demand) and release it when there is a deficit. Slightly less critical, but important, are fast-charging batteries used in smart watches, smart homes, and personal health devices (PHD).
A couple of years ago, it became unequivocally clear that lithium-ion batteries – the best battery technology in use today – would be extremely unsuitable for future requirements. There is such a wide gap between lithium-ion technology and the projected battery of the future, that it became quite obvious that nothing less than a “quantum leap” (or revolution) in battery technology would suffice. That’s why, while it hadn’t made the news yet, feverish and frenzied investigations had been launched in many major university and corporate R&D centers to find the hottest battery technology of the future with features such as: time charge on the order of a few minutes or even seconds (wow!), lower weight (halved for EV batteries), higher capacity, safety (no fires or electrical explosions are expected that remember the Boeing 787 mishaps of 2013!), significantly lower cost, easy handling, and cycle times in the thousands and ten thousands.
Thinking of achieving a “quantum leap” in technology in 1 or 2 years would have left many in the scientific community stunned in the recent past. But now things have changed! Man, having advanced the frontiers of scientific knowledge by unprecedented leaps and bounds in recent times, today’s researchers, sitting at the pinnacles of scientific knowledge, seem to offer highly promising solutions in the blink of an eye!
So here is a list of the most promising technologies being investigated at the time of this writing. (Note: Research on fast-charging batteries is currently awash with many alternative technologies vying for the No. 1 spot. With so many numerous, the author has not attempted to present an exhaustive list. Instead, the list below represents the best of everything, in his opinion.)
ALUMINUM-GRAPHITE TECHNOLOGY (see reference numbers 2 and 4 for details):
At the top of the list is the aluminum and graphite technology that is being developed at Stanford University, USA It is amazing due to its 1 minute (yes, 60 seconds!) Load time. While its capacity is roughly half that of lithium-ion, it more than makes up for this shortcoming with its incredible charge time. Compared to the lifespan of lithium ions of approximately 1000 charge cycles, aluminum graphite lasts at least 7500 cycles. It’s also much safer than Li-ion – researchers say even if you pierce it, it won’t catch fire!
ALUMINUM-AIR TECHNOLOGY (FOR VE) (Reference numbers 1 and 2):
In the aluminum-air (Al-air) battery, oxygen from the air is used at the cathode and consequently a separate oxidant is not necessary. This type of battery has energy densities that could supply an EV with enough power to put it on par with its gasoline-powered counterparts. Range on a single full charge is approximately 1000 miles! A couple of recharges may be all you need if you drive up to 2,000 miles per month!
The amazing thing about this battery is that it weighs only half that of today’s lithium battery. Without half the weight of the battery, you get much more payload to transport passengers and goods (Note: the battery is by far the heaviest component in an EV. In the Tesla Roadster, for example, the battery contributes approximately one-third of the total weight, so the weight saved, that is, one-sixth of the total, is considerable).
ALUMINUM-AIR TECHNOLOGY (FOR EVs) (Reference No.2):
This is a different type than the Al-air technology discussed above. Impressive because it works with water (both ordinary and marine) and has 40 times the capacity of Li-ion!
FAST CHARGE BASED ON NANOTECHNOLOGY (Reference No.5):
StoreDot Ltd., an Israeli high-tech company in fast-charging batteries, will soon launch “FlashBattery for SmartPhones”, a universal charger for smartphones. The company uses proprietary organic compounds created / manipulated using nanotechnology.
What makes it amazing? You can recharge any phone, regardless of make or model, in one minute (maximum)!
In addition to phones, the charger can be used to charge portable devices, PHDs, tablets, and the like. However, there is a catch: although it is proven, it is not commercially available yet! It may take a year from now before it is available in retail stores.
StoreDot will also offer “FlashBattery for EV”, a fast charger for electric cars in the near future. This product is programmed to charge a car battery in just five minutes!
FAST CHARGING ON RADIO WAVES (Reference No.2):
In this technology, the electrical energy used for charging is transmitted through radio waves.
Not very surprising, except that it is wireless and charges from up to 20 feet away. And there is also a catch: it is not immediately available on the market.
ORGANIC FLOW TECHNOLOGY (Reference No.2 and Wikipedia):
Developed by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), organic flow technology generates electricity using an organic substance, AQDS (9,10-anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid) as a charge carrier.
It amazes us by reducing 97% of the cost of electricity production (battery source), while metal batteries provide 1 KWh of energy at $ 700, organic flow batteries provide you that amount of energy for only $ 27! !
NANOBATTERIES (Reference numbers 2, 6 and Wikipedia):
Nanobatteries are manufactured from “nano” size batteries (that is, sizes in the range of 10 to -9 meters). “Nano” batteries are created by placing two electrodes in a small hole (or “nanopore”) in an electrically insulating membrane or metallic compound (such as aluminum oxide) separated by a thin insulating film. A large number of “nanopores” fuse together to form a complete battery.
Something superlative about them? Yes! The nanopores are so small that they are not individually visible. They can hold up to four times the energy of lithium ions and can be fully charged in 10 minutes. In addition, they have a useful life of about 1,000 charge cycles.
NTU LITHIUM-TITANIUM DIOXIDE TECHNOLOGY (FOR EV) (Reference No.7 and Wikipedia):
This is a technological breakthrough from Singapore-based Nanyang Technological University (NTU). By changing the graphite cathode found in lithium-ion batteries to an inexpensive gel made of titanium dioxide, NTU claims to have developed an ultra-fast charging battery that charges 70% of its capacity in two minutes. In addition to the two-minute charge time, what is surprising is its extraordinary 20-year lifespan.
Aimed primarily at electric vehicles, the battery life factor is expected to greatly reduce costs that would have otherwise arisen due to frequent battery replacements.
NOTE: As mentioned above, fast-charge battery research is an evolving field currently replete with several alternative technologies that show promise. Technologies based on metallic foam substrate, silicon, sodium ions, urine-fed microbial fuel cells, solar energy, hydrogen, candle soot and various others that are in research and development were overlooked when making the list above , which the author believes are the best on the list. lot. One notable omission is Meredith Perry’s “air charging” technology, which uses electricity transmitted through ultrasound to charge. A long-awaited and highly coveted technology until recently, it apparently failed recent evaluation tests, so it had to be scrapped.
References: (Requires cut and paste the link in your browser to access reference numbers 3 to 7)
1. Jeffrey Marlow, “The 10 Hottest Fields of Scientific Research”, The 10 Hottest Fields of Scientific Research | Wired, http://www.wired.com/2013/08/the-10-hottest-fields-of-science-research/
2. Pocket-lint, “Future batteries, coming soon: charging in seconds, last months and wireless charging”, Future batteries, coming soon: charging in seconds, last months and wireless charging – Pocket-lint, http: //www.pocket- lint.com/news/130380-future-batteries-coming-soon-charge-in-seconds-last-months-and-power-over-the-air
3. ScienceDaily, “Battery Research,” Battery News – Science Daily, sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/batteries/
4. Stanford University, “Stanford Aluminum Battery Offers a Safe Alternative to Conventional Batteries”, news.stanford.edu/news/2015/march/aluminum-ion-battery-033115.HTML
5. StoreDot Ltd., “FlashBattery for Smartphones”, StoreDot What We Do, store-dot.com/#!smartphones/c1u5l
6. Ars Technica, “New battery made up of many nanobatteries” | Ars Technica, arstechnica.com/science/2014/11/new-battery-composed-of-lots-of-nanobatteries/
7. Nanyang Technological University, “NTU Develops Ultra-Fast Charging Batteries That Last 20 Years”, News Detail, media.ntu.edu.sg/NewsReleases/Pages/newsdetail.aspx?news=809fbb2f-95f0-4995-b5c0-10ae4c50c934