source wrote:Silicon Nanowires Boost Li-ion For 20-hour Notebooks
Stanford (CT) - Researchers at Stanford University have discovered a way to utilize silicon nanowires in in such a way as to reinvent the rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery. This find produces 10x the electricity of existing Li-ion batteries, leading to the 20-hour notebook. The lead researcher is calling it "a revolutionary development".
Silicon nanowires
A paper published on December 16, 2007, in Nature Nanotechnology, entitled "High-performance lithium battery anodes using silicon nanowires", written by Yi Cui, assistant profesor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, explains the device. Cui describes the process as a re-examination and reinvention of the known, natural swelling when silicon is exposed to lithium, as is shown in this image.
Note: both images were taken at the same magnification, one before exposure to lithium, the other after.
The silicon swells as it absorbs positively charged lithium atoms during the charging phase. Later, when it's called to give off electricity during use, it deflates back to its smaller size.
History
Silicon battery technology began about 30 years ago. Researchers had been pursuing larger silicon assemblies which would quickly fracture and damage the battery, making for almost immediately decreased output and extremely low battery lifetimes. Cui chose to investigate silicon nanowires because unlike larger silicon structures, they do not fracture. This is true even upon repeated charge/depletion cycles.
The results are so far ahead of what was expected that Cui is looking for additional applications. He would like to see wide use of the new batteries as viable home storage units for rooftop solar panels, electric car batteries which last 10x as long, as well as the traditional uses in cell phones and notebooks for 10x the usable life.
Conclusion
When I interviewed Mooly Eden at Fall IDF 2007 in San Francisco, CA, I asked him if he was aware of any new battery technologies which would significantly impact the usable life of portable devices. He said yes, but refused to comment further about what that technology was. I think we may have found it here.
A battery providing 20 hours of usable notebook life would be enough for two days of business use from 8am - 5pm. It would be enough to watch 6 to 7 movies during plane flights or long trips. And as far as cars go, it could allow future vehicles to drive 1,200 miles instead of just 120 miles on a single charge.
I'm amazed no one's posted this yet after a few days. Now, when will we see this in the field?
Photography Genius is always allowed some leeway, once the hammer has been pried from its hands and the blood has been cleaned up.
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
Yeesh, combine that with something like the low-cost solar panels that Nanosolar is producing, and widescale distributed solar suddenly becomes that much more viable.
I'm all for better laptop battery life. I'm tired of my Lappy shutting down because I accidentally kicked out the plug a half hour ago... Or an MP3 Player that doesn't need to be charged for weeks...
Only if the battery packs are at least the size of current ones, and only if you leave the air conditioning and heater off.
I worked out the math and it still takes a 350kg battery pack to equal the amount of energy in a 60L tank of gasoline. A good car engine is around 30% efficient at cruising speed while electric motors are roughly 90% or so. In theory, a car with the super battery pack will go about 3 times as far, assuming they both start with the same amount of energy in the tank. Highway cruise range for a gasoline car is usually around 400-500 miles, sports cars have less while diesels can have a fair bit more.
aerius: I'll vote for you if you sleep with me. Lusankya: Deal!
Say, do you want it to be a threesome with your wife? Or a foursome with your wife and sister-in-law? I'm up for either.
Only if the battery packs are at least the size of current ones, and only if you leave the air conditioning and heater off.
I worked out the math and it still takes a 350kg battery pack to equal the amount of energy in a 60L tank of gasoline. A good car engine is around 30% efficient at cruising speed while electric motors are roughly 90% or so. In theory, a car with the super battery pack will go about 3 times as far, assuming they both start with the same amount of energy in the tank. Highway cruise range for a gasoline car is usually around 400-500 miles, sports cars have less while diesels can have a fair bit more.
So we're still talking what, 1200-1500 per charge being really generous and assuming AC is turned off without even accounting for the increas in efficiency? With current bettery packs. Shit, that's downright revolutionary.
I mean of course you would simply install smaller/fewer batteries than is currently necessary, but that would also decrease charge time. Assuming the nanowires don't negatively effect that of course.
We pissing our pants yet?
-Negan
You got your shittin' pants on? Because you’re about to Shit. Your. Pants!
-Negan
He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches.
-George Bernard Shaw
Only if the battery packs are at least the size of current ones, and only if you leave the air conditioning and heater off.
I worked out the math and it still takes a 350kg battery pack to equal the amount of energy in a 60L tank of gasoline. A good car engine is around 30% efficient at cruising speed while electric motors are roughly 90% or so. In theory, a car with the super battery pack will go about 3 times as far, assuming they both start with the same amount of energy in the tank. Highway cruise range for a gasoline car is usually around 400-500 miles, sports cars have less while diesels can have a fair bit more.
So we're still talking what, 1200-1500 per charge being really generous and assuming AC is turned off without even accounting for the increas in efficiency? With current bettery packs. Shit, that's downright revolutionary.
I mean of course you would simply install smaller/fewer batteries than is currently necessary, but that would also decrease charge time. Assuming the nanowires don't negatively effect that of course.
Well, let's hope that implementing this along with all the new "5 minute charged to 80%" technologies sin't too tricky .
That's the problem really, there are dozens of great improvements, the problem is implementing them, and doing it economically and making them all together. (Oh,a nd preferably doing it quickly ). But by then you're talking about fusion powered cars that vomit water, gold and oil
Photography Genius is always allowed some leeway, once the hammer has been pried from its hands and the blood has been cleaned up.
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
What do you call those "5 minute charged to 80%" technologies? My iPod will do that much in an hour, but needs 4 hours to do a full charge. How does this work?
Phantasee wrote:What do you call those "5 minute charged to 80%" technologies? My iPod will do that much in an hour, but needs 4 hours to do a full charge. How does this work?
Check out A123 Systems, they're the ones that make the fast charging batteries (if I'm not mistaken)
A123 Systems introduced a new cell in 2006. It is known mainly as 'A123' but also 'M1'. The chemistry is Lithium Iron Phosphate which is sometimes abbreviated Li-Fe or Li-FePo4. These cells have most of the good features of both Lithium Polymer and Nicads. More specifically:
* Light enough to be in same league as lipos
* High enough voltage and flat discharge curve to be almost as good as lipos
* Broad voltage range so less likely to be damaged inadvertantly
* Work better when warm and not super-sensitive to heat like lipos
* Inherently much safer and don't have to be monitored like lipos
* Quicker recharge than nicads! (15-20 minutes)
* Cheaper than lipos
* Physically much stronger than lipos to withstand more crashes
* Easy to make DIY charger
