Talking about batteries is almost always synonymous with talking about lithium -ion batteries, so present in mobile, laptops and electric cars. Until now they seemed irreplaceable, but from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) a very interesting proposal comes.
It is a hybrid battery that achieves more than triple energy density than the current ones and that, curiously, could even help fight the acidification of the seas.
The project is leaded by Professor Yet-Ming Chiang, an expert recognized in Materials Science. Your team has designed a system that functions as a kind of hybrid between battery and fuel battery. Instead of plugging into the current, it works with liquid metallic sodium such as fuel, abundant, cheap and easy to transport.
The second ingredient is even simpler and is about air as a source of oxygen. When mixing both elements through a solid ceramic electrolyte, the cell manages to generate electricity with incredible efficiency.
According to laboratory tests, prototype.
The most striking of all is that, behind that figure already of three zeros, The minimum threshold is hidden to dream of electric commercial airplanes. Reaching that figure does not imply flying from Madrid to New York with an electric plane, but opening the door to flights of shorter journey with zero direct emissions. Companies such as Boeing, Airbus, Alstom or Maersk already have an eye on how this will take shape. Of course, this would also give rise to long -distance trains and large ships.
Not only 100% electric planes, it is also a battery that takes care of the planet
Beyond this wonder, this novelty hides a small very beneficial secret for all, since their waste could benefit the environment. During the process sodium oxide is released, which reacts spontaneously with the CO₂ and the humidity of the air to transform into compounds such as hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate.
This means that, when liberating into the sea, it helps reduce the acidification of the oceans, something that, sadly, worries more and more due to how this affects ecosystems and marine species.
But this is not all and, as you will know, the issue of security is something that has always been linked to lithium ion batteries, but not for something positive. One of the great criticisms is the risk of fire or explosion.
In this case, the design in «fuel battery» eliminates the proximity of dangerous reagents. On the one hand there is sodium, on the other the air, which almost completely reduces the probabilities of accident. To make it simple to use, a system of sealed liquid sodium cartridges has been designed. They are interchangeable and can be replaced in minutes.
With this on the table, the team behind all this has a plan to make it scalable. The first real application prototype will be a module to the size of a brick, with a capacity of 1,000 Wh, enough to fly large agricultural drones. At the same time, a startup called Propel Aero has already been launched, incubated in The Engine, the MIT accelerator, who wants this idea to take form and become a commercial product.
Finally, the argument that there will not be enough sodium have also completely dismantled it. This element can be obtained from common salt and exists in predictable amounts.
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Tags: Batteries, electric car