Researchers from Jülich Research Center (Jülich, Germany) announced their new invention, a silicon-air battery. The new battery features high energy density so it’s a lighter and smaller battery solution.
Silicon-air battery is made of silicon which means it’s cheap to make from virtually unlimited resources rather than a rare earth material. It can deliver energy for up to 46 days (about 1000 hour). It’s a big step but it not means it’s the perfect solution. This new type of battery suffers from short lifetime of just a few minutes, therefore the researchers made a workaround by refills the electrolyte from time to time using a pump system.
About how it works, the news states that “As long as the silicon anode is in contact with the electrolytes, the battery will generate electricity. With this method, the Jülich battery remained active until the silicon was used up after more than 1100 hours. Once the electrode is used up, it can be reactivated by replacing the anode.”
Via: elektormagazine