These fragile, futuristic batteries run longer with a little oil - lithium air battery

Batteries using aluminum and oxygen usually have a fast life and a short life.
But a new design can help these high
Energy equipment is affordable. Aluminum-
Air batteries are promising candidates for a new generation of non-batteries
Rechargeable batteries because they are very light and compact.
However, since the internal components of the battery will rapidly degrade each other, they are not widely used.
In the new aluminum
The air device, described in November.
9. between the corrosion components of the battery, the shelf life of the equipment is greatly extended.
This improved single
Using the battery can provide a backup power supply for the electric vehicle, or provide energy in the case of remote, offthe-grid regions.
"This is a very smart design," said Wu Yiying, a chemist at Ohio State University who was not involved in the work. The oil-
The buffer scheme may also be
Corrosion like zinc
Air devices, he said. Each aluminum-
The air cell battery contains two electrodes, one aluminum anode and the other cathode, separated by a liquid called electrolyte.
Oxygen molecules inhaled from the air enter the cathode, in which they react with electrons and aluminum particles flowing through the electrolyte from the anode, releasing energy to the power electrons.
Unfortunately, the water electrolyte erodes the aluminum anode when the battery is in standby.
"It's basically like a rusty tool," says Brandon Hopkins, an American mechanical engineer. S.
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D. C. C.
Who did it at MIT?
"If you put aluminum --
Or any metal.
It starts to rust and corrosion in the water.
As a result, aluminum-
Sitting on a shelf for only a month, the air battery could lose about 80% of its stored power.
Hopkins and his colleagues made a more durable aluminum.
By inserting the air device of the polymer film between the cell electrodes.
When the battery supplies the device, the electrolyte is pumped from the reservoir into the area on both sides of the membrane.
When the battery is not in use, the electrolyte is discharged from the membrane side next to the aluminum anode and the oil flows in to replace it.
This oil shields aluminum from the electrolyte on the other side of the film.
Once the battery is reactivated, the oil is pumped out for storage and the electrolyte is returned in.
In the lab experiment, Hawkins's team used the new battery, as well as the aluminum battery
5-air battery without oil buffer
24 minutes intervalor 72-
One hour per interval.
The electrolyte inside the traditional battery is corroded by the aluminum anode in just a few days, and the battery dies.
But the electrolyte inside the oil
The equipped battery corrupts the aluminum anode at a much slower rate, and the battery has been working for weeks before the battery's energy is fully exhausted.
The energy output of a single battery prototype may be increased by making a larger version or stacking multiple batteries in the battery pack.
"Researchers still need to study the whole-
"The scale battery pack," Wu said.
In addition to being an emergency power supply for electric vehicles, this light battery can also power the power that runs for a long time
The long-range drone, Hopkins said. Aluminum-
Air batteries can also be provided
Power grid energy is provided to military personnel and civilians in remote areas.