About the development of a better battery

  • Thread starter spideyjj
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Battery
In summary: Insurance is also expensive. Every form of stored energy is dangerous, because that energy might escape.I've flown electric powered model aircraft since 1984 and I still have one built in 1986. As you can imagine it's had several generations of NiCad, NiMh and may one day get upgraded to Li cells. Insurance is also expensive. Every form of stored energy is dangerous, because that energy might escape.I've flown electric powered model aircraft since 1984 and I still have one built in 1986. As you can imagine it's had several generations of NiCad, NiMh and may one day get upgraded to Li cells.That's why I bought a camera which works
  • #1
spideyjj
4
0
What are the major obstacles in the development of battery encountered currently? Or there are different difficulties in different aspects? I have tried to search it online but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack.
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
  • #2
spideyjj said:
What are the major obstacles in the development of battery encountered currently? Or there are different difficulties in different aspects? I have tried to search it online but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack.
It is a stack. A stack of hundreds of teams researching hundreds out ideas and battery types.

Can you narrow your interest? Pocket size, or car size, or household size, or utility grid size?
 
  • #3
anorlunda said:
It is a stack. A stack of hundreds of teams researching hundreds out ideas and battery types.

Can you narrow your interest? Pocket size, or car size, or household size, or utility grid size?
The pocket size, like the one in mobile phones
 
  • #5
anorlunda said:
very cautious
Li plus "wet" solvents/electrolytes equals "big boom."
 
  • #7
One problem as I understand it is this...

You can improve the capacity of a battery by increasing the surface area of the electrodes. One way to do this is to give them a rough texture, perhaps by coating them with ultra fine pointy crystals, hair like structures or nano tubes. This works however the fragile surface can be damaged by the charge/discharge process so the capacity of the cell degrades over time. The/a problem is to make a cell with good capacity that will also cope with the stresses of cycling or rapid charging without degrading too fast.
 
  • #8
  • #9
CWatters said:
Sadly not viewable in the UK.
That IS sad. Not even on youtube ? www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4McN9OYDwg

They didn't mention what is the downside to that plastic electrolyte battery. They drove nails through it, cut it with shears, and it kept on powering his tablet phone.. Looks too good to be true , but Nova is generally not prone to exaggeration...

old jim
 
  • #10
jim hardy said:
That IS sad. Not even on youtube ? www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4McN9OYDwg

They didn't mention what is the downside to that plastic electrolyte battery. They drove nails through it, cut it with shears, and it kept on powering his tablet phone.. Looks too good to be true , but Nova is generally not prone to exaggeration...

old jim
Thanks that worked.
 
  • Like
Likes jim hardy
  • #11
spideyjj said:
What are the major obstacles in the development of battery encountered currently?
The obvious major obstacle is selling enough of the previous generation, to pay for the engineers to design and build the next generation. This is made more difficult by hyping the next generation before it is available.

Insurance is also expensive. Every form of stored energy is dangerous, because that energy might escape.
 
  • Like
Likes jim hardy
  • #12
I've flown electric powered model aircraft since 1984 and I still have one built in 1986. As you can imagine it's had several generations of NiCad, NiMh and may one day get upgraded to Li cells.

It's a shame electric car makers seem unable to find a way to allow this. If I buy a 5 year old electric car who can sell me a battery that uses today's cells for it?
 
  • Like
Likes anorlunda
  • #13
CWatters said:
It's a shame electric car makers seem unable to find a way to allow this. If I buy a 5 year old electric car who can sell me a battery that uses today's cells for it?
That's why I bought a camera which works with 4X AA cells. There was other types with different batteries - almost all type had different type of batteries, actually - but all those will be out of spares within a few years, while for this one I think I'll be able to get spares for some decades: both rechargeable and single use.

AA will outlive everything.
 
  • Like
Likes Asymptotic, jim hardy, CWatters and 1 other person
  • #14
The aircraft industry is moving more and more to electrification. One big problem is energy storage and charging with current battery technology. Argonne Nat. Lab/Ill. Inst. of Tech. may have an answer with what is called a nanoelectrofuel flow battery. Using positive and negative charge fluids and ion exchange membranes, the fluids are circulated by the membranes draining the charge from the fluids. The advantage is high power density and the fact that the battery is rapidly charged by replacing the fluids making charge storage similar to conventional fuel storage.

https://www1.anl.gov/sites/anl.gov/files/es_nanoelectrofuels-broch-tech_0.pdf
 

1. How does a better battery impact our daily lives?

A better battery can greatly improve our daily lives by providing longer lasting energy for our devices and reducing the need for frequent charging. This can save us time and make our devices more convenient to use.

2. What makes a battery "better"?

A better battery is one that has a higher energy density, meaning it can store more energy in a smaller size. It also has a longer lifespan, is more environmentally friendly, and is safer to use.

3. What are the current challenges in developing a better battery?

The main challenges in developing a better battery include finding materials that can store more energy, improving the battery's durability and stability, and reducing the overall cost of production.

4. What new technologies are being explored for better battery development?

New technologies such as solid-state batteries, lithium-air batteries, and flow batteries are currently being researched and tested for their potential to create more efficient and powerful batteries.

5. When can we expect to see a better battery available for widespread use?

It is difficult to predict an exact timeline, but with the rapid advancements in battery technology, it is likely that we will see a better battery available for widespread use within the next 5-10 years.

Similar threads

Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
31
Views
3K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
3
Views
171
Replies
8
Views
663
  • General Engineering
4
Replies
139
Views
25K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
182
  • Electrical Engineering
Replies
3
Views
290
  • General Engineering
Replies
32
Views
2K
  • Computing and Technology
Replies
12
Views
261
  • Electrical Engineering
Replies
17
Views
900
Back
Top