Bistable energy landscape for a lithium-glass ferroelectric-electrolyte in contact with an aluminum-negative electrode and self-cycling process in an electrochemical aluminum/lithium glass/copper cell. a) Variation of the potential energy with plated lithium leading to negative capacitance/self-charge and negative resistance/self-cycling. b) Self-charge and self-cycling processes upon alignment of the dipoles in the ferroelectric-electrolyte due to the electrical necessity of aligning the Fermi levels.
CREDIT: Braga et al.
A new type of battery combines negative capacitance and negative resistance within the same cell, allowing the cell to self-charge without losing energy, which has important implications for long-term storage and improved output power for batteries.
These batteries can be used in extremely low-frequency communications and in devices such as blinking lights, electronic beepers, voltage-controlled oscillators, inverters, switching power supplies, digital converters and function generators, and eventually for technologies related to modern computers.
In Applied Physics Reviews, from AIP Publishing, Helena Braga and colleagues at the University of Porto in Portugal and the University of Texas at Austin, report making their very simple battery with two different metals, as electrodes and a lithium or sodium glass electrolyte between them.
“The glass electrolyte we developed was lithium-rich, and so I thought that we could make a battery in which the electrolyte would feed both electrodes with lithium ions, on charge and discharge with no need for lithium metal,” said Braga.
This work is significant, because it unifies the theory behind all solid-state devices — such as batteries, capacitors, photovoltaics and transistors – where the different materials in electrical contact exhibit the properties of the combined material instead of those of the individual materials.
“When one of the materials is an insulator or dielectric, such as an electrolyte, it will locally change its composition to form capacitors that can store energy and align the Fermi levels within the device,” said Braga.
In a battery, the open circuit potential difference between electrodes is due to an electrical need to align the Fermi levels, a measure of the energy of the least tightly held electrons within a solid, which is also responsible for the polarity of the electrodes. The chemical reactions come later and are fed by this electrical potential energy stored in the capacitors.
“Our electrochemical cells, which in principle are simpler than batteries, are all about self-organization, which is the substance of life,” Braga said.
To contribute to a more sustainable world, self-cycling can be stopped or mitigated by not allowing a leap in the Fermi levels or by configuring a negative resistance to happen.
“This can be obtained by having the negative electrode of the same material as the positive ions of the electrolyte,” said Braga. “It gives rise to a device that self-charges without self-cycling — increasing the energy stored in it — as opposed to the natural degradation of the electrochemical process that makes the energy stored decrease by dissipation of heat. The latter has applications in all energy storage devices, such as batteries and capacitors, and can substantially improve their autonomy.”
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Self-charging battery
- Solar Power on the Go: DIY E-Bike Charging Solutions
E-bikes are rapidly transforming the way we commute and explore. Their combination of pedal-assist and electric power offers a convenient, eco-friendly, and enjoyable riding experience. Whether you’re ...
- Battery energy storage for microgrids
A new battery energy storage system (BESS) engineered to be part of a flexible and scalable architecture, has recently been announced by Schneider Electric. The energy management and automation ...
- New HMD Pulse range offers affordability, style, and self-repairs
The new HMD Pulse phones are all priced less than $300 in Australia, with a big focus on repairability and taking good photos.
- Fired Tesla Charging Employees Suggest Elon Musk Is an Authoritarian CEO
Tesla's eccentric boss is once again in the spotlight, but not for any good reason. The executive is portrayed as a mercurial person, to say the least ...
- Toyota’s largest-ever investment charging up in rural North Carolina
Toyota's largest-ever investment in N.A. manufacturing is taking shape in rural N.C.; will ultimately provide batteries for locally built EVs, hybrids and PHEVs.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Self-charging battery
[google_news title=”” keyword=”self-charging battery” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
A device that self-charges without self-cycling
- Solar Power on the Go: DIY E-Bike Charging Solutions
E-bikes are rapidly transforming the way we commute and explore. Their combination of pedal-assist and electric power offers a convenient, eco-friendly, and enjoyable riding experience. Whether you’re ...
- The Learning Network
New nutrition guidelines will mean less salt and sugar in school meals. Teenagers share whether they think students will embrace the changes. By The Learning Network An organization in Harlem is ...
- Tout Terrain’s New CINQ Plug6 Plus and Plug5 Pure USB-C Charging Ports
The German Brand Tout Terrain releases two new powerful problem solvers, the CINQ Plug is a convenient USB-C charging port in two models ...
- Does meditation actually work? Here’s what the science says.
Research is finally catching up to the idea that meditation—which has been practiced for millennia—also provides many health benefits, including managing stress and anxiety.
- Self-Driving Cars? Not Yet. Here’s Why Your Ride Still Needs a Human Co-Pilot
Two decades ago, the US military kicked off the race to build a self-driving car by sending a fleet of fledgling robot vehicles across the Mojave Desert in its seminal Darpa challenge. Ten years later ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
A device that self-charges without self-cycling
[google_news title=”” keyword=”a device that self-charges without self-cycling” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]