Six aspects of the future lithium ion battery technology can be improved

Smartphones have come a long way in recent years, with more powerful processors, graphics cards, ultra hd and even flexible screens, all impressive. But breakthroughs in battery technology have been slow, and we still have to live with a day or so of range. While we've been looking at the development of new material batteries, it's actually lithium-ion battery technology that's most likely to see a breakthrough in the near future. Here's a look at the next generation of battery technology.

What are lithium batteries?

Lithium battery is the use of lithium metal or alloy as the anode material, non-water electrolyte solution battery, compared with the previous nickel metal hydride battery has a larger capacity, better stability and repeated recharging and discharging characteristics, after years of development has been quite mature, almost all the current consumer lithium battery is made of anode graphite. As for the disadvantages, through the news reports of frequent fires and explosions, we have learned that lithium batteries are very easy to explode out of control in the case of short circuit and overheating, which is why we advocate users to use original batteries, chargers and data lines to prevent short circuit of lithium batteries.

Future forms of improvement

Lithium-ion batteries come in a variety of forms, but the direction is basically set for better safety, charging speed, flexibility and performance. Here's a look at some of the new technologies that promise breakthroughs.

1. Non-flammable components

First of all, the safety of lithium batteries is the most wanted problem to solve. Scientists have found that an organic solvent called PFPE is more stable, reducing the impact of crystallization on the electrode, improving safety and extending battery life. While the technology still needs some time to test, non-flammable lithium-ion batteries are expected to be on the market soon.

2. Faster charging speed

A research team at Nangyang University of Technology has developed a new type of lithium-ion battery that, unlike other technologies, does not increase capacity but takes longer to charge. In just two minutes, it can quickly charge up to 70 percent of the battery and be recharged more than 10,000 times. The technology uses titanium dioxide instead of graphite as the anode material, and Qualcomm also uses better control chips to achieve more stable charging. This technology is characterized by its low cost, which makes it ideal for mobile products and electronic vehicles.

3. The lithium anode

Scientists at Stanford University recently published a paper showing that ultra-thin carbon clusters could allow lithium metal to be used as an anode, boosting power by up to 10 times as much as current graphite anodes. At present, however, its efficiency is only 96%, and it will take some time to reach the mass consumer electronics market.

4. Flexible lithium batteries

We're all looking forward to fully flexible electronics, but even though flexible screens have come a long way, batteries remain a problem. LG recently showed off a fully curly OLED screen with a flexible screen, circuit and battery, which is the closest thing we've seen to a flexible electronics device from a science fiction movie.

In addition, a Taiwanese company recently announced the start of production of flexible ceramic polymer lithium batteries with extremely safe characteristics. While the battery capacity may not be ideal, it is very suitable for wearable devices, which are expected to hit the market this year.

5. Lithium sulfur and lithium air batteries

Two other promising new types of lithium-ion batteries are lithium-sulfur and lithium-air. The former characteristic is does not need the high volatile solvent, greatly reduces the fire hazard, even if suffers the big impact; The latter theoretically have a higher energy density and are suitable for products such as electric cars, but the challenge is that new types of electrodes and electrolytes are needed. At present, lithium-sulfur battery has the advantages of large capacity, low cost and high safety, and is likely to become the mainstream first.

6. Supercapacitors

Ultracapacitors are a different kind of battery technology from traditional lithium structure. They can be charged at high capacity and high speed, but the main obstacle is that capacitors often cannot store energy. Tsinghua University, the University of Texas, and the National University of Singapore are all developing ultracapacitor batteries with different storage materials, including carbon nanofluid and graphene. However, these technologies still have some problems, such as heavy, high energy concentration and stability, and it is difficult to be popularized in the consumer market in the short term.

7. Magnesium battery

Another promising metal for batteries is magnesium, which can carry twice as much energy as lithium ions, with a shorter charge time and more stable performance. Magnesium batteries were commercialized a few years ago, so they are expected to reach consumers faster than other new battery materials.

Conclusion

All of these new battery technologies are still in development, but it is clear that improvements based on lithium batteries will be the first to hit the market, and we can expect to have faster charging, more durable and safer lithium batteries within a few years. Completely different battery types, such as ultracapacitors and magnesium batteries, will take some time to perfect, and when they do, the next revolution in electronics will come.