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MIT and Samsung Researching Solid-State Batteries

Posted by samzenpus on from the building-it-better dept.

jones_supa writes: Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Samsung have developed a new approach to one of the three basic components of batteries, the electrolyte. The new findings are based on the idea that a solid electrolyte, rather than liquid, could greatly improve both device lifetime and safety, while also providing a significant boost in power density. The new type of electrolyte would also cope better in cold temperatures. The results are reported in the journal Nature Materials in a paper by MIT postdoc Yan Wang, visiting professor of materials science and engineering Gerbrand Ceder, and five others.

2 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. This is good. by WSOGMM · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Improvements in battery technology are one of the most important stepping stones in getting us to that Star Trek utopia. Obviously they're used everywhere, but with 'perfect' battery technology, you don't need to worry about peak load energy production (ie, you can produce clean energy sporadically and save it if power demand isn't high enough), you don't need gasoline for cars, and your smartphones won't take hours to charge.

    It seems that the main advantage of this breakthrough is, among other benefits, eliminating the heating problems associated with high energy devices like car batteries. One of the biggest problems people have with electric cars is that you can't charge them faster than you can fill up a tank of gas. FTFA:

    The electrolyte in such batteries — typically a liquid organic solvent whose function is to transport charged particles from one of a battery’s two electrodes to the other during charging and discharging — has been responsible for the overheating and fires... The lithium itself is not flammable in the state it’s in in these batteries.

    This is big, and I'm excited. Don't get me wrong, this isn't an overall solution to our dirty energy practices and clunky smartphones, but it's a big step in the right direction. Surely there will be design hurdles to overcome, which will probably delay implementation for some time, but this century is going to be great if we don't fuck it up too bad.

    Also, if you can get past the paywall, here's a link to the nature materials article that the article didn't have: http://www.nature.com/nmat/jou...

    1. Re:This is good. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Informative

      having cars drive up, spend a minute or two and pay, then drive away is a viable business. Having cars take 10-15 is not; too much land and too many stations required.)

      Keep in mind that a gas station can take up a quarter acre or more. But an electric charging station is the size of a parking meter. Since they require no infrastructure other than power, they can be dispersed. Existing charging stations are placed near restaurants or shopping centers, where people are going to park anyway, and they can use the downtime to eat and shop.

      My wife owns a Tesla. She won't let me drive it, but she will let me ride in the passenger seat. We have taken some longish trips, and have to stop every 3 hours or so, vs. every 6 hours with a gas car. It is a bit of a hassle, but not a deal breaker. However, she uses it mostly for commuting, and only rarely for long trips.