It sometimes seems as if our colleagues in the lithium industry emptied out their bathroom cabinets. Then they broke the contents into their constituents to see if they could build batteries from them. That is about as true as there being a leprechaun at the bottom of the garden. Or that scientists at University College Cork want to provide a battery suntan for your smartphone.
So What’s the Connection to Batteries Then?
Fair question, this blog is here to tell you everything you always wanted to know about batteries but were afraid to ask. So there has to be one. And this is how things fit together. What the scientists at Cork did was create a compound of lithium and titanium oxide. And this keeps the lithium electrode intact for longer. Now they are speaking of sustained capacity of over thirteen years.
So No Suntan for Your Smartphone …
Not really, although we suppose the smartphone case will start to fade after recharging 5,000 times. The researchers at University College Cork were in deadly earnest. Their discovery is part of a four-year project to achieve “better electric vehicle performance.” Because they want to develop “ultra-fast charging batteries for next-generation electrical energy storage devices.”
But No Shortage of Titanium Oxide
Titanium oxide is one of the fifty common most chemicals in the world. It occurs naturally in rutile, anatase, and brookite minerals.
After separating it out, we find it in many popular applications. These include white pigment, food coloring, and as the blocking agent in sunscreen that repels ultraviolet light.
The researchers believe their invention does not contain any of the toxic materials in traditional lithium batteries. Consequently they are applying for a patent before developing a commercial application
A Research Method Borrowed from Nature
The scientists at University College Cork created a 3-D arrangement of titanium oxide nano-particles. Then they filled the spaces between these artificial ‘opals’ with active battery material to form a long-life product. This is structurally similar to the iridescent part of peacock feathers, and butterfly wings but much stronger. While it does not provide a suntan for your smartphone, it may have changed lithium batteries forever.
Related
The Legacy of Lithium-Ion Batteries
Developing a Longer Life Smartphone Battery
Preview Image: Bathroom Amenities
