You can find lithium-ion batteries in smartphones, tablets, laptops, electric cars, and nearly all the electronics around you.
Researchers’ addiction to lithium aside, there are several drawbacks to lithium-ion batteries; they are known for being unstable, and it explodes. Recently, we did a story on a Xiaomi phone where the device blew in the victim’s pocket.
But few researchers around the world are trying to reinvent the batteries powering our smartphones. Enter calcium anode batteries.
How are calcium anode batteries different from lithium-ion batteries?
A simple lithium-ion battery includes an anode, cathode, and electrolytes. The electrolyte carries positively charged ions from anode to cathode. However, the problem with Lithium is that it is insufficient for the increasing demand in the electronics industry.
Researchers believe the next alternative is calcium. However, there have been a few challenges. The problem with calcium-based batteries is that it lacks a suitable electrolyte.
But Zhirong Zhao-Karger, a researcher at Helmholtz Institute Ulm in Germany, and her colleagues have synthesized a new electrolyte that eradicates one of the biggest challenges in building calcium-based batteries.
The team reacted a calcium compound with a fluorine-containing compound to create a new type of calcium salt. According to the published report, the new electrolyte conducted electricity more efficiently than any other calcium-based electrolyte tested out yet.
In fact, the researchers saw that the new electrolyte conducted ions at a higher voltage than other calcium-based electrolytes.
Future with Calcium Anode batteries
Now that the researchers have found a way to replace lithium-ion batteries, we might see calcium-based batteries renewable energy industries in the future.
Also Read: Tesla Truck Release Date Revealed By Elon Musk