Underground Journal

The Lithium Battery – Now With Extended Life

You might have been wondering why people are making such a big deal out of the 18650 batteries which are actually a lithium ion battery type. With so many new developments when it comes to the batteries itself and other related equipment like 18650 battery packs and 18650 battery charger consumers are wondering what is next. Everyone is talking about how this technology will pretty much be taking over many facets of consumer electronics and this is something that people are looking forward to. Well there have been quite a few developments which are geared towards making these 18650 batteries even better than they are today.

Although the Lithium battery is quite workable and performs with stability and high energy, there were some problems with the technology which made it a bit more costly to the general consumer. The only problem with the Lithium ion battery is that it has a tendency to explode if it is placed under high temperature conditions. To eliminate that risk, the batteries available are all fitted with some kind of safety mechanism inside which helps keep them cool even in very high temperatures. The increased cost of the battery was partially due to this safety mechanism which costs a lot. Although this is not a problem when it comes to hand held devices and portable electronic items but when it comes to powering the latest hybrid cars, the problem becomes tenfold or hundred fold because there are hundreds of batteries involved in making a simple car run.

This is what makes the hybrid cars too expensive for commercial production. The reason why all scientists and researchers are looking for newer ways to improve this Lithium ion battery is that they want it to good enough to be placed in the hybrid car models. Among other developments which include addition of a newly formed molecule which keeps the lithium battery cool under high temperature conditions, there are many other related researches that are benefitting this product. One such development is the recently produced silicon nano wires which are meant to improve the performance of lithium batteries tenfold. This means that if on an average a battery provides one hour of charge for a laptop or another device, with the nano wires it will be able to give ten hours of power!

The way this technology works is to replace the carbon anode (electrode) in the battery with a silicone one that can hold more lithium ions. But instead of having a whole strip of electrode which had a tendency to swell and contract and eventually cause breakage, the system of silicon nanowires or as the researchers term is as being the “nanowire forest” eliminates that problem of fracturing and gives the battery its immense power. Of course this would surely be a great help when it comes to powering portable devices and other electronic items like the laptop which can benefit from easy charging procedures that make the battery last longer than ever before, these nanowires will also give a lot of hope to the hybrid car industry.

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