One of the most notable developments in battery history is the "Daniell Battery", developed in 1836 by the English chemist John Frederick Daniell. Since the Daniell Battery provides longer and more reliable current, it has been used as a replacement for the volta battery.
Lithium and lithium-ion batteries have been developed since the 1900s. These batteries,
which were first introduced to the market by Sony in 1991, are actually
described as one of the inventions that changed the world. Because thanks to
these batteries, the foundation of fossil fuel-free, electrically powered
devices that are being used today has been laid.
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for
studies on lithium-ion batteries. For pioneering work in this field,
John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino were awarded the 2019
Nobel Prize in Chemistry. John Goodenough, who was deemed worthy of this award,
made history as the oldest scientist to win the Nobel Prize.
Today, the most frequently used batteries are these lithium-ion
batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are used especially in smartphones (e.g.
iPhone) and many electronic devices. These rechargeable batteries are lighter,
smaller and portable compared to other batteries.
But as rechargeable batteries age, their performance
declines. Even if they are not yet used, the lifespan of devices powered by
lithium-ion batteries immediately begins to decrease. Because of this, the
battery of the devices can run out in a short time.
In addition, the features of smartphones are increasing nowadays. Along with these features, battery consumption also increases. Work continues on alternative new batteries to solve such problems.
Future Batteries and Features
Along with the studies and projects in the field of
energy, studies on batteries are gaining momentum day by day. As humanity
reduces the use of fossil fuels, new battery technologies must become
widespread to meet the needs of electric vehicles.
Large companies and researchers are also aware of the
life, efficiency and capacity of lithium-ion batteries that are now common. For
this reason, big companies such as Samsung and Tesla are increasing their
investments in battery technologies day by day. In fact, Tesla has a battery
factory in Nevada called the Gigafactory. Although companies have not yet
introduced products to be produced with newly developed batteries to consumers,
it is thought that new battery technologies will become widespread in the near
future.
Tesla Gigafactory, ABD, Nevada
The most exciting features of these new batteries are
the increases in their capacity and usage time. Here are the batteries of the
future, which are developed for these purposes and are an alternative to
lithium-ion batteries:
1. Lithium-Sulfur Batteries
Lithium-sulfur batteries developed by scientists from
Monash University in Australia can power a smartphone for 5 days and have many
advantages over lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries require minerals such as nickel
and cobalt. The supply of these metals is more limited and costly. In contrast,
sulfur, which is required for lithium-sulfur batteries, is the 16th most
abundant element in the world and about 70 million tons are produced each year.
2. Magnesium Batteries
Compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries,
magnesium batteries are more energy-dense and store almost 5 times more energy
than lithium-ion batteries of the same size. In this respect, magnesium is
described as a very promising substance and is shown as one of the important
candidates among the batteries that may become widespread in the future.
3. Graphene Batteries
The tips of pencils, which are the most used pencils
by students, are actually made of a material called graphite, not lead. Graphite
is formed as a result of carbon atoms coming together in a hexagonal
arrangement. The single layer of graphite is called graphene.
Batteries made with graphene have a higher electrical
conductivity than lithium-ion batteries. In addition, thanks to these
batteries, it is thought that the phones can be charged in a few minutes, and
they may have thinner and lighter designs. Due to these features, many large
companies such as Huawei and Samsung are making significant investments in
graphene batteries.
4. Solid State Batteries
Solid state batteries are also batteries that allow
high performance at low cost. The most striking feature of these batteries is
that they are safe. It is thought that risks such as burning will be eliminated
thanks to these batteries. Solid state batteries do not use liquid
electrolytes. They replace it with another substance, thus eliminating the
risks of burning and flaming.
5. Nanowire Batteries
Nanowires are nanoscale conductive wires produced
using nanotechnology. The emergence of nanowire batteries is a little different
from other batteries. These batteries were actually developed by chance.
Scientists at the University of California in America
used gold nanowires instead of lithium without realizing it during their
research, and they saw that the resulting battery lasted 400 times longer than
normal batteries and could be charged 200,000 times.
The reason why these batteries are not introduced to
the market is the high cost of nanowires. It is aimed to achieve the same
results by using nickel in order to make it suitable for placing on the market.
If nanowire batteries become more common, many devices seem to have a long
lifespan.
It is thought that these new batteries will be the hidden heroes behind the devices that will appear in the coming years and have remarkable features. It is expected that many more new batteries will also be produced.
It seems that we will encounter new generation
batteries more frequently, especially in electric vehicles. For example, the
Netherlands, which is one of the countries that has taken important steps in
this field, will end the sale of vehicles running on fossil fuels as of 2025. After
2025, only electric vehicles will be able to be sold in the country, and new
batteries will be more common in these vehicles.
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