MIT researchers have developed a new lithium-oxygen battery concept that improves energy efficiency and longevity, and could potentially be used in long-distance electric cars and smartphones, reports Ben Woods for Wired. The new approach results in “faster charging and more efficient batteries, due to lower heat wastage,” Woods explains.
Loukia Papadopoulos explains her favorite quotes by Prof. Donald Sadoway on the future of clean energy. “When Sadoway began his work on the liquid metal battery, he purposely ignored many established paradigms in his own field and chose instead to reach across disciplines to generate new insight,” writes Papadopoulos in The Huffington Post.
In an article for CNN Money about developments in battery technology, Jackie Wattles highlights a new approach developed by MIT researchers that could help pave the way for solid-state lithium-ion batteries. Wattles explains that such technology could “survive hundreds of thousands of charges, store 20% to 30% more power, and isn't as susceptible to overheating.”
In this “Science of Innovation” segment, NBC Learn explores Prof. Angela Belcher’s work using viruses engineered in her laboratory to form nanoscale wires for tiny batteries. “By harnessing nature’s own processes, Angela Belcher has been able to turn today’s viruses into tomorrow’s batteries.”
Prof. Donald Sadoway speaks with Miles O’Brien of the PBS NewsHour about how designing better batteries could help make renewable energy more feasible. “The issue is that we don’t have a battery technology that can meet the rigorous performance requirements of the grid, namely, super low-cost and super long service lifetime,” explains Sadoway.
David Unger of The Christian Science Monitor speaks with Prof. Donald Sadoway about the future of batteries. Sadoway says he views the battery enterprise "as very socially conscious. It would represent a major step in bringing electricity to those who don’t have reliable access to electricity.”
According to Matt Kaplan of The Economist, Professor Ju Li has devised a method of producing lithium-ion batteries using nanoparticles. “If the process of making the nanoparticles can be industrialized," writes Kaplan, "then the lifetimes of lithium-ion batteries might be considerably extended.”
Professor Yet-Ming Chiang’s company 24M has devised a manufacturing process that cuts the cost of producing batteries in half using liquid-battery technology, writes Brooks Hays for UPI. “The new method brings the benefits of liquid technology to big batteries—but without the baggage.”
Scott Kirsner writes for BetaBoston about 24M Technologies, a company co-founded by Professor Yet-Ming Chiang that has produced a safer, cheaper, and more durable lithium-ion battery. “We’re reinventing the lithium ion battery,” says Chiang. “The cost of the product is too high, and the manufacturing process is too complex.”
Scott Kirsner writes for BetaBoston about 24M Technologies, a company co-founded by Professor Yet-Ming Chiang that has produced a safer, cheaper, and more durable lithium-ion battery. “We’re reinventing the lithium ion battery,” says Chiang. “The cost of the product is too high, and the manufacturing process is too complex.”
In an article for Bloomberg Businessweek about batteries, Christopher Martin highlights how Prof. Donald Sadoway’s liquid metal battery will be deployed this year. The batteries, which are being commercialized by Sadoway’s startup Ambri, will power solar and wind farms and store surplus energy for a power company in Manhattan.
Professors Joel Schindall and John Kassakian are developing technology designed to replace the traditional battery with a new device that relies on ultracapacitors, reports Erik Sherman for CBS News. Ultracapacitors “can store large amounts of electricity and release them in single bursts,” Sherman explains.
Jon Chesto writes for The Boston Globe about a new battery technology from Professor Don Sadoway’s company, Ambri, that allows for more efficient grid-level power storage: “The goal is to allow electric utilities or big industrial plants to store power so it can be released at times of high usage.”
According to The Economist, a battery design “being developed by Donald Sadoway of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology would use two sorts of liquid metal, separated by a liquid electrolyte.” Using metals of varying densities, Sadoway’s design would allow the substances to float as separate layers in a container.
Boston Globe reporter Callum Borchers writes about how MIT researchers have developed a new coating that could reduce the risk posed by ingesting batteries. The battery has “been shown in lab tests to deactivate an ingested battery without compromising its performance in electronic devices,” writes Borchers.