These days, with the severe addiction most people have to their electronics, the first thing, generally, that most people look for is an electrical outlet. Doesn’t matter where they are. They immediately look for a place to recharge their electronics, especially that cell phone. The real problem is, however, not the device but the battery.
Because batteries these days are lithium ion, they are, for the most part, almost useless to everyone. The thing is, it seems, is that every time you re-charge your battery, it becomes less and less efficient. It’s like the batteries are charging and dying at the same time. How quantum mechanics of it all…
Despite this, lithium ion batteries are in such huge demand that the manufacturers are barely keeping up with their orders. The batteries have been around for less than 50 years but it is the technology that is the most current. Even though technology in general has been advancing at astronomical rates, the underlying support technology seems quite ancient in comparison.
So, now, the search is on for a battery that will be the equal of the technological advances. Perhaps the battery technology is there but not being released because there’s too much money to be had selling the lithium ion ones? Chemists at Texas A&M recently noted that the electrons in the batteries don’t flow freely as would be ideal. Instead, the electrons get trapped and are turned into what the scientists call “puddles of charge”. In effect, they just pool up and die. The more the battery gets used, the larger the puddle becomes until there are no more electrons to feed it.
The answers to this challenge are being answered in a couple of ways and one is research being done into nanotech. Researchers are looking for a way to build the batteries smaller and to increase the flow of the electrons so that they are constantly providing flow. Another way is to develop new technology that will allow the electrons to flow free and not get trapped and puddled.
In these ways, scientists are working toward the eventual wireless charging which will eliminate the need to constantly be searching for an electrical outlet.
PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash