Ever since mobile phones became popular, the importance of rechargeable electric batteries has been steadily growing all over 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 figures include some of the poorest among us. While a large number of users do not go beyond making simple voice calls (and infrequent text messages), the availability of excellent and easy-to-use free ‘apps’ (or apps) that are growing in variety and number Day by day, it is gradually attracting many in this category to become ‘mainstream’ mobile phone users. Many people who use PCs as their primary computing device today, aware that PCs will soon cede their position of preeminence 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 larger 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 thrown away, for the success of future smartphones.
There are other important applications that depend on fast-charging batteries for their well-being, too. One is the much-celebrated electric vehicle (EV) industry. Users expect battery recharge time to be comparable to the time it would take to refuel at a gas station today, ie on the order of 4-5 minutes. Another very important application is in smart grids, those intelligent power management stations, where the inputs and outputs of electricity to users are managed. High capacity batteries with rapid charge/discharge are required to store surplus power (as long as input exceeds demand) and release it when there is a deficit. Somewhat less critical, but important, are fast-charging batteries used in smartwatches, smart homes, and personal health devices (PHDs).
A couple of years ago, it became unequivocally clear that lithium-ion batteries (the best battery technology in use today) would be grossly 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 frantic research had been launched at many of the top university and corporate R&D centers to find the exalted battery technology of the future with features such as: time charge time on the order of a few minutes or even seconds (wow!), lighter weight (cut in half for EV batteries), higher capacity, safety (no fires or electrical explosions to be expected remember the 2013 Boeing 787 mishaps!), significantly lower cost, easy handling, and cycle times in the thousands and ten thousands.
The thought of achieving a “quantum leap” in technology in 1-2 years would have left many in the scientific community dumbstruck in the recent past. But now things have changed! Man, having advanced the frontiers of scientific knowledge by leaps and bounds unprecedented in recent times, today’s researchers, sitting on 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 that are being researched at the time of writing this article. (Note: Fast-charging battery research is currently inundated with many alternative technologies vying for the #1 spot. With such numerous numbers, 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 more details):
At the top of the list is the aluminum and graphite technology being developed at Stanford University, USA. It’s amazing because of its 1 minute charge time (yes, 60 seconds!). While its capacity is about half that of lithium-ion, it more than makes up for this shortcoming with its incredible charge time. Compared to lithium ion’s lifespan of approximately 1,000 charge cycles, aluminum graphite lasts for at least 7,500 cycles. It’s also much safer than Li-ion – researchers say even if you puncture it, it won’t catch fire!
ALUMINUM-AIR TECHNOLOGY (FOR EVs) (Reference numbers 1 and 2):
In the aluminum-air (Al-air) battery, oxygen from the air is used at the cathode and therefore a separate oxidant is not necessary. This type of battery has energy densities that could supply an EV with enough power to put it alongside its gasoline-powered counterparts. Range on a single full charge is approximately 1000 miles! A couple of refills 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 the current lithium battery. Without half the weight of the battery, you get much more payload for carrying passengers and cargo (Note: the battery is by far the heaviest component in an EV. In the Tesla Roadster, for example, the battery contributes about one third of the total weight, so that 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 fast-charging battery company, will soon launch “FlashBattery for SmartPhones”, a universal charger for smartphones. The company uses proprietary organic compounds created/manipulated through nanotechnology.
What makes it awesome? You can recharge any phone, regardless of make or model, in one minute (max)!
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 tested, it is not commercially available yet! It may take a year from now before it’s available in retail stores.
StoreDot will also offer “FlashBattery for EV,” a fast charger for electric cars, soon. This product is programmed to charge a car battery in just five minutes!
FAST CHARGE OVER RADIO WAVES (Reference No.2):
In this technology, the electrical energy used for charging is transmitted via radio waves.
Not terribly amazing, except that it’s 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 producing electricity (battery source), while metal batteries provide 1 KWh of power at $700, organic flow batteries give you that amount of power for just $27.
NANOBATTERIES (Reference numbers 2, 6 and Wikipedia):
Nanobatteries are made from “nano”-sized batteries (ie, sizes in the range of 10 to the -9 meters). “Nano” batteries are created by placing two electrodes in a small hole (or “nanopore”) in an electrically insulating membrane or metal compound (such as aluminum oxide) separated by a thin insulating film. A large number of “nanopores” are fused together to form a complete battery.
Anything superlative about them? Yes! The nanopores are so small in size that they are not individually visible. They can contain up to four times the energy of lithium ions and fully charge in 10 minutes. In addition, they have a useful life of about 1,000 charging 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 a low-cost gel made of titanium dioxide, NTU claims to have developed an ultra-fast-charging battery that charges 70% capacity in two minutes. In addition to the charging time of two minutes, what is surprising is its extraordinary lifespan of 20 years.
Aimed primarily at electric vehicles, the battery life factor is expected to greatly reduce costs that would otherwise have arisen due to frequent battery replacements.
NOTE: As mentioned above, fast-charging battery research is an evolving field currently teeming with various alternative technologies that hold promise. Technologies based on metal foam substrate, silicon, sodium ions, urine-powered microbial fuel cells, solar power, hydrogen, candle soot, and various others that are in research and development were overlooked in making the above list. , which the author believes are the best on the list. batch. One notable omission is Meredith Perry’s “air charging” technology, which uses electricity transmitted via ultrasound to charge. A much-anticipated and highly-coveted technology until recently, it apparently failed recent benchmark tests, so it had to be scrapped.
References: (Cut and paste the link in your browser is required 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: Charge in Seconds, Last Months and Wireless Charging”, Future Batteries Coming Soon: Charge 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’s 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-Charge Batteries That Last 20 Years,” News Detail, media.ntu.edu.sg/NewsReleases/Pages/newsdetail.aspx?news=809fbb2f-95f0-4995-b5c0-10ae4c50c934