Researchers race to make a long-lasting battery for cellphones and other devices

When Noam Kedem was hanging out at Las Vegas\'s Consumer Electronics Show in January, he was struck by the fact that business seemed to be slowing down every afternoon.
This is not because of the usual posts. lunch blahs.
With attendees using a larger, more powerful smartphone, \"You can\'t talk to anyone after 3 p. m.
Because their smartphone batteries are dead, \"said Kedem, vice president of marketing at Leyden Energy, a battery technology company in Fremont, California.
\"Everyone is running from charger to charger.
\"Most of our plugs from iPhones and laptops to electric cars
Lifestyle seems to have to do with finding the right wall outlet.
However, as each new device consumes more and more batteries, the frustration of consumers will only increase.
So, it may not be surprising that the phrase \"ihatebatterylow\" became a big hit on Facebook and Twitter.
Driven by this consumer frustration and the federal government\'s recent funding to improve batteries, university labs, small start-ups
Both Ups and the company\'s research department are trying to make a breakthrough, which will provide us with more space to keep us away from alternatingNow the tether
Although most of these designs have not yet entered the consumer market, new configurations and chemical reactions have surged in the past few years, which may solve some of our low
Battery problems, says Esther Takeuchi, a senior professor of power systems at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
\"With the combination of new materials, new design concepts and new production and manufacturing methods, I am sure we will achieve this,\" she said . \".
Bamboo said that the current gold standard for batteries is lithium
Ion, which was commercialized more than 20 years ago, is now ubiquitous in computers, cameras and mobile phones.
Some researchers are trying to put more power into the existing lithium. ion cells;
Others want to incorporate elements such as sulfur, zinc, magnesium and even air into new batteries.
But, despite the ongoing race for this quantum leap, some observers warn that improvements will be longer than the massive jumps in memory and speed that occur in the computer industry about every 18 months.
\"It may take a while if you want to talk about ten times the improvement,\" said John Gartner, senior research analyst at Boulder Pike Research, Colorado.
\"But we will see continuous improvement in all aspects.
The battery works by converting the chemical reaction into electric energy.
Electrons flow from one electrode to form a circuit-
Cathode with positive electricity
Another-
Anode with negative electricity-
Through an electrolyte that can be liquid or solid.
The voltage difference between the two electrodes produces current.
Italian physicist Alexander Walta made the first in 1800 by stacking zinc, cloth and silver layers.
20 th century, heavy but longlasting lead-
Acid batteries have been developed for vehicles, while portable but disposable alkaline batteries for flashlights, smoke detectors and almost all other devices have been commercialized.
Improvement of rechargeable lithium
At least for now, the Ion battery seems to be the most promising.
These batteries are used in most consumer electronics, including smartphones and iPads, with limited life and charging capacity.
But researchers say they can become more efficient and long-lasting. lasting.
Researchers at the University of Texas developed the first lithium
Ion rechargeable batteries in early 1980, and today\'s lithium-
Ion batteries have longer life than old nickel batteriesmetal-
Some experts say there is a lot of room for improvement in hydrogen batteries. “Lithium-
Ions are only half as likely in theory, \"said Dane Bosen, director of the Department of Energy\'s senior research programs agency --
The energy battery project has awarded $36 million to 10 projects since 2010.
One of the grantees is Envia Systems, Newark, California.
In February it said it could now more than double the amount of electricity stored in its rechargeable lithium
Ion battery, thanks to its new manganese-
Based on cathode and siliconcarbon anode.
The Naval Surface Combat Center in Ind Crane confirmed the claim.
A federal laboratory that evaluates engineering and electronics projects for the Pentagon.
GM has reached an agreement with Envia to use its new advanced lithium-
In the next two to three years, the Chevrolet Volt\'s ion battery.
The technology can enter the consumer market relatively quickly, allowing laptops to run for 12 hours in a row, rather than the usual 6 hours now, Bossen said.
At the same time, Pellion Technologies, initiated by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is building a manganese-based battery.
Pellion claims it will have twice the energy of existing lithium
Ion batteries for small consumer goods and electric vehicles.
Toyota researchers in Michigan say they are developing a magnesium battery that can run 250 to 300 miles, twice the current battery mileage.
Magnesium is considered to be an anode superior to lithium because it can store more charge, last longer and does not form a branch crystal, which is a safety issue.
The obstacle for developers is finding the right cathode and electrolyte to use with magnesium.
An Israeli scientist will be the first to charge magnesium.
The sulfur battery was in 2000, but it didn\'t have much charge.
Pellion used high-
Computers screen 10,000 substances to see if they can work with magnesium.
Officials at Pellion recently said they had narrowed the range to dozens of candidates, while Toyota reported in August that they were using magnesium, sulfur and a special electrolyte.
Then lithium.
Air batteries with carbon instead of metal oxides.
Carbon is lighter and reacts with oxygen in the air to generate current.
While this battery promises 1,000
According to the New Scientist magazine, engineers have yet to figure out how to get an electric car to charge normally within the range of miles.
There is also a problem with lithium.
It is lit when in contact with wet air.
But IBM researchers in California and Switzerland report this year that they have found a way to remove water vapor and solve a key problem.
IBM wants a prototype lithium.
By 2013, air car batteries were commercialized by 2020.
It will take decades to be successful in battery technology, not just years of research, Mr. Bosen said.
\"Every chemical in a battery is different,\" he said . \"
\"Each battery needs a different manufacturing infrastructure.
Battery is a problem that is more difficult to solve than other technologies, such as making faster computers or new electronic products, Boysen said.
In fact, the two battery companies have encountered difficulties in commercializing rechargeable Lithium
Even with the help of the government, the ion battery technology is the same.
Ener1 filed for bankruptcy in January after the bankruptcy of its main customer norwegan electric vehicle manufacturer.
Ener1 received a $0. 118 billion federal stimulus fund.
A123 Systems recently said it had to replace some faulty batteries in the new Fisker car Deluxe electric plugin vehicles.
The company received $249.
Federal appropriations of 1 million per cent in 2009.
Despite the possibility of failure, some entrepreneurs will not give up.
There is no more clear than the PolyPlus record, PolyPlus has been looking for the holy grail of battery technology, lithium-Air and lithium
Water batteries, since the beginning of 1990.
After the pursuit of lithium
Over the years, the company has turned to lithium-air in 2003.
PolyPlus chief executive Steve sticky has finally set up a pilot manufacturing facility in Berkeley, California.
Not far from Lawrence Berkeley Lab, where he worked as a fuel cell researcher.
He wants the first lithium.
Seawater batteries are available within two years;
They will govern for a long time.
A distance detector that detects ocean currents and sends back ocean data to help scientists make climate predictions.
The next application will be lithium.
An air battery bag that can be inserted into the soldier\'s radio.
It takes five years to charge lithium.
Air batteries are ready for the consumer market, Visco said.
Scientists need to make sure that they can maintain their daily use without being hot, which is a problem that bothers lithium.
Ion batteries were launched in the 1990 s.
But for consumers who want a longer period of time, Visco has a warning
A durable phone or laptop.
He said any progress in efficiency
For example, less weight or longer running time
May be swallowed up by the demand for increasingly complex gadgets in the market.
\"If you put lithium
\"The air battery in the laptop, it will run twice as long,\" Visco said . \".
\"But people who design laptops will put more fancy things in them.
Niiler is a freelance writer for Chevrolet chase.