MIT Researchers Developing Battery Alternative
Traditional batteries haven't progressed far
beyond the basic design developed by Alessandro Volta in the 19th century. But
work at MIT's Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems (LEES) holds
out the promise of the first technologically significant and economically viable
alternative to conventional batteries in more than 200 years.
Traditional batteries haven’t progressed far beyond the basic design developed by Alessandro Volta in the 19th century. But work at MIT’s Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems (LEES) holds out the promise of the first technologically significant and economically viable alternative to conventional batteries in more than 200 years.
Researchers at MIT’s LEES Laboratory are using nanotube structures to improve on an energy storage device called an ultracapacitor.
Capacitors store energy as an electrical field, making them more efficient than standard batteries, which get their energy from chemical reactions. Ultracapacitors are capacitor-based storage cells that provide quick, massive bursts of instant energy. They are sometimes used in fuel-cell vehicles to provide an extra burst for accelerating into traffic and climbing hills.
The LEES invention would increase the storage capacity of existing commercial ultracapacitors by storing electrical fields at the atomic level.
The new nanotube-enhanced ultracapacitors could be made in any of the sizes currently available and be produced using conventional technology.
Looks like a technology worth tracking — and worth nudging into commercial production.
Posted: Thu - February 9, 2006 at 08:16 AM