Even a person who is weakly connected with technology knows that any autonomous system that uses electricity cannot do without independent sources of electricity. Whether it is a means of mobile communication or vehicles, they must all be equipped with batteries or accumulators, the disadvantage of which is a small capacity and a short service life. With the advent of graphene batteries, this drawback will be eliminated.
Content
- Discovery history
- Graphene structure
- Arrangement of batteries and accumulators
- Benefits and challenges
- Other developments
Discovery history
Scientists have been searching for new materials for accumulating electrical energy for a long time. The components of batteries and accumulators used so far did not meet modern requirements for electrical engineering. This was especially true of batteries and accumulators, whose poor technical characteristics hindered the development of new economical and environmentally friendly vehicles.
The research was crowned with success in 2004, when two British scientists, immigrants from Russia, Konstantin Novosyolov and Andrey Geim, received in the laboratory a new material with the desired properties based on carbon - graphene. For the creation of a carbon film one atom thick on a silicon oxide substrate with high storage characteristics, the scientists received the Nobel Prize in 2010.
This development is considered the most promising in the field of energy storage technologies, although technically it has not yet received widespread use.
Graphene structure
Graphene is a type of graphite - a substance consisting of carbon atoms. A graphite crystal is composed of layers that resemble sheets of paper folded in a pile. The atomic interaction between the layers is weaker than in the middle, which is why graphite is so well suited as a pencil rod.
This property made it possible to split it into separate layers and obtain a new substance called "graphene", which has the same properties as graphite, but several times stronger. This result is a breakthrough for the development of electronics, as well as the production of batteries and accumulators, because natural graphite has excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. This will make it possible to replace expensive materials currently used in production with graphene, since graphite is abundant in nature.
Graphene has an extremely simple crystal structure that reduces the resistance to the flow of electrons, so it can accumulate charge much faster than bulk crystals. And this charge is much more powerful. These properties will make it possible to create batteries and accumulators from it that have much better technical characteristics than those currently used.
Arrangement of batteries and accumulators
The principle of operation and structure of graphene batteries are the same as those of conventional storage batteries installed on cars with internal combustion engines. The difference is in the electrochemical processes taking place inside the device. They are most similar to the reaction in a lithium polymer battery.
There are now two competing technology directions for the production of graphene batteries. They were developed in the USA and Russia:
- in the American model, the sources of the chemical reaction consist of lithium cobaltate and a cathode of alternating silicon and graphene plates;
- in the second - Russian - version, a magnesium-graphene battery was created, in which the lithium salt used as an anode was replaced with magnesium oxide, which is cheaper and less toxic.
In both cases, there is an increase in the rate of passage of ions between the electrodes and the capacitance batteries, because graphene has a high electrical permeability and a tendency to accumulate electric charge. Only the estimates of the possible capacity differ. American experts believe that it will increase in comparison with lithium-ion batteries tenfold, and Russians - up to two and a half times.
Benefits and challenges
Batteries with flat graphite crystals used in them hold great promise. They differ:
-
less weight; - high conductivity;
- great strength and water resistance;
- ecological cleanliness;
- increased specific capacity;
- the ability to adjust their qualities by combining with other materials;
- easy removability of damage;
- low price of raw materials.
The main problem with graphene batteries today is their size. They turn out to be too large for installation on mobile devices. This problem has not been resolved yet.
Unlike gadgets, in the automotive industry, graphene has excellent prospects now. Installing graphene batteries on an electric car triples its mileage between two charges, up to 1000 km. Charging takes at most 10 minutes. Equipping this gas station with filling stations is not a problem.
Other developments
In addition to Russia and the United States, work on improving graphene batteries is being actively carried out in other countries.
Scientists in Australia have discovered a way to keep graphene plates in a stable state. After all, their instability, the desire to return to the three-dimensional state inherent in ordinary graphite, was one of the main problems of this material. To prevent this, the scientists placed the graphene plates in a water gel to prevent them from sticking together. In addition, a battery of this design can be charged in a matter of seconds. The cost of the gel is low, because it consists only of water and carbon.
New technologies appear almost every year in the worldthat allow more rational use of depleting natural resources. These include the invention of graphene, which in the near future may cause revolutionary changes in transport system due to its unique properties in a large volume to accumulate and store electrical energy. It is likely that everyone will be able to make a graphene battery with their own hands using a 3D printer.
