Take stock of six important breakthroughs in the battery field in 2019

Battery is undoubtedly a hot keyword
in 2019.
From automakers to manufacturers of consumer electronics to all advances in battery technology that care about the environment, all aspects of society will benefit
.
This article takes stock of the most important technological breakthroughs
in the battery field in 2019.

1.
Rechargeable under high temperature conditions

Ideally, the lithium-ion batteries that power our mobile devices and electric vehicles should be kept within a certain temperature range when charging, otherwise there is a risk of degradation and a much
shorter lifespan.
However, if we can charge safely, we can also charge at higher temperatures, which means higher efficiency and therefore may significantly reduce charging time
.

In October, a team of researchers at Pennsylvania State demonstrated a new type of battery to absorb heat
.
Scientists generally consider charging batteries around 60°C (140°F) to be off-limits, but the researchers' device can reach these temperatures in just 10 minutes and then cool down quickly to minimize harmful effects
.

The breakthrough focused on the thin nickel foil, which the scientists attached to the negative terminal of the battery to allow it to warm quickly as electrons flowed past and then cool
rapidly again.
With this approach, the team can safely charge
the battery for more than 1,700 cycles at such temperatures.
Scientists say this is so efficient that it's equivalent to charging
an electric car in a range of 200 to 300 miles (320 to 480 kilometers) in just 10 minutes.

2.
Carbon dioxide can be captured while charging

In October, a team of researchers at MIT demonstrated a new type of battery with the ability to capture carbon dioxide from the
surrounding air.
The device, called a "pendulum" battery, uses a bunch of electrodes coated with compounds called anthraquinones, allowing them to absorb CO2 molecules
that happen to be nearby.

When the battery is charged, this process occurs naturally until the electrodes are filled with CO2
.
At this point, it can be released to absorb CO2 molecules for collection and use as an industrial product
.
The team said lab tests showed that its electric swinging battery could last 7,000 charge cycles with only a 30 percent
drop in efficiency.
Now, the researchers are eyeing 20,000 to 50,000 cycles
.

3.
Lithium-CO2 batteries are fully chargeable

The energy density of lithium-carbon dioxide batteries is more than 7 times that of lithium-ion batteries, but until now, it has been very difficult
to develop a version that can be recharged.
This is because there is too much
carbon deposited on the battery catalyst during the charging process.

In September, scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) reported a solution to the problem of carbon deposits, demonstrating what they call the first lithium-carbon dioxide battery
capable of being fully charged.

The battery utilizes a "nanosheet" of molybdenum disulfide built into the cathode and a hybrid electrolyte consisting of ionic liquids and dimethyl sulfoxide, a combination of materials that prevents the buildup of carbon on the catalyst and enables the battery to be charged
in 500 consecutive cycles.

4.
Grid-level energy storage with molten silicon core

Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar can generate large amounts of electricity, but it stores that electricity in case it is needed, which is required by the uncertainty of the weather
.
Back in April, Australian startup Climate Change Technologies (CCT) unveiled a solution
it believes is more efficient than standard lithium-ion grid storage solutions.

Its thermal energy device (TED) is known as the world's first working thermal battery
.
It is a modular battery that can be fed from any source and used to melt silicon
inside an insulated chamber.
The heat engine can then extract this energy for use as needed, each TED box can store 1.
2 MWh, and individual units can be connected to make batteries
that may be unlimited in size.

According to CCT, one of the great advantages of the system is that molten silicon does not degrade
like lithium.
In testing, the company said its batteries showed no signs of degradation in any of the 3,000 test cycles, and that they are expected to last 20 years or more
.
In addition to their long service life, TED batteries are said to store six times more energy per capacity than lithium-ion batteries, and the price is about 60 to 80 percent
of their price.

5.
Double the energy density

Lithium-ion batteries can carry enough energy to sustain your phone for a day's work, or power your laptop from a power source, but are limited
when used for transportation.
That's because the energy density of batteries built into cars and planes pales in comparison to traditional fuels, meaning you can't increase range
without increasing their weight.

In October, a promising path was proposed through the Institute for Frontier Materials at Deakin University in Australia, where scientists demonstrated a new type of battery with a solid electrolyte made from commercially available
polymers.
This is considered "the first instance in science of transporting lithium ions without liquid and efficiently.
"

By avoiding volatile liquid electrolytes that are prone to ignition, batteries should be safer, but their potential doesn't stop there
.
The researchers say this type of design will also eventually allow the use of lithium metal anodes, which could double the density of lithium batteries
.
This could result in electric cars having a greater range and electric planes traveling meaningful distances
.

6.
Expansion of the world's largest energy storage project

In 2017, Tesla won a contract to build the world's largest lithium-ion battery, providing South Australia with 129 MWh of additional storage capacity with a maximum output of 100 MW.

Now, under a new agreement, South Australia is demanding a further 64.
5MWh of capacity and 50MWh of output
.
The project, scheduled for mid-2020, will increase the size of the world's largest battery facility by about 50 percent
.