Analyze the six areas that can be improved in future lithium-ion battery technology

　　Lithium batteries can easily explode out of control in the event of a short circuit or overheating. This is why we encourage users to use original batteries, chargers, and data cables to prevent lithium batteries from being short-circuited.

　　Smart phones have made considerable progress in recent years. More powerful processors, graphics cards, ultra-clear and even flexible screens are all impressive. However, breakthroughs in battery technology have been slow, and we still have to endure a battery life of about one day. Although we have been paying attention to the development of new materials of batteries, in fact, the most likely to achieve a breakthrough in the near future is still lithium battery technology. Now, let's take a look at the development of next-generation battery technology.

　　What is a lithium battery?

　　Lithium batteries are batteries that use lithium metal or ion alloys as the negative electrode material and non-aqueous electrolyte solution. Compared with the previous nickel-hydrogen batteries, they have larger capacity, better stability and repeated charge and discharge characteristics. After years of development, they have become quite mature, almost All current consumer-grade lithium batteries are made of anode graphite. As for the shortcomings, through the news reports of frequent fires and explosions, we have also learned that lithium batteries are very easy to explode out of control in the event of a short circuit or overheating. This is why we encourage users to use original batteries, chargers, and data cables to prevent lithium. The battery is short-circuited.

　　Future improvements

　　The improved forms of lithium batteries are diversified, but the direction is basically established in terms of better safety, charging speed, flexible form and performance, etc. Let's take a look at several new technologies that are expected to make breakthroughs.

　　1. Non-flammable components

　　First of all, the safety of lithium batteries is the most important problem that people want to solve. Scientists have found that an organic solvent called PFPE is more stable, which can reduce the influence of crystallization on the electrodes, improve safety and extend battery life. Although this technology still needs some time to test, it is expected that non-flammable lithium batteries will soon be on the market.

　　2. Faster charging speed

　　The research and development team of Nangyang University of Science and Technology has developed a new type of lithium battery. In just two minutes, 70% of the battery can be quickly charged, and the number of recharges exceeds 10,000 times. This technology uses titanium dioxide instead of graphite as the anode material, and Qualcomm also uses better control chips to achieve a more stable charging effect. This technology is characterized by low cost and is very suitable for the mobile products and electronic automobile industries.

　　3. Lithium anode

　　Scientists at Stanford University recently published a paper and found that ultra-thin carbon clusters can allow lithium metal to be used as an anode, with a power increase 10 times that of current graphite anodes. However, its efficiency can only reach 96% at present, and it will take time to enter the mass electronic consumer market.

　　4. Flexible lithium battery

　　We all look forward to the emergence of fully flexible electronic devices, but even though flexible screens have made considerable progress, the battery is still a problem. LG recently demonstrated a fully rollable OLED screen. The screen, circuit and battery are also flexible. This is the closest flexible electronic device we have seen in a science fiction movie.

　　In addition, a Taiwanese company in China also recently announced that it has begun to produce flexible ceramic polymer lithium batteries, which have extremely safe features. Although the battery capacity may not be ideal, it is very suitable for wearable devices and is expected to be launched in the market this year.

　　5. Lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries

　　Two other promising new types of lithium batteries are lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries. The characteristic of the former is that it does not require highly volatile solvents, which greatly reduces the risk of fire, even if it suffers a greater impact; the latter theoretically has a higher energy density and is suitable for electric vehicles and other products, but the challenge it faces is the need for new types of products. Electrodes and electrolytes. From the current point of view, lithium-sulfur batteries have the advantages of large capacity, low cost, and high safety, and are very likely to become the mainstream first.

　　6. Super capacitor

　　Supercapacitor is a battery technology that is different from the traditional lithium structure. It can achieve large-capacity and ultra-high-speed charging, but the main obstacle is that the capacitor usually cannot store energy. my country’s Tsinghua University, the University of Texas, and the National University of Singapore are all developing supercapacitor batteries with different storage materials, including carbon nanofluid, graphene, etc., but these technologies still have hidden dangers such as bulkiness and high energy accumulation stability. It is difficult to popularize in the consumer market in the short term.

　　7. Magnesium battery

　　Magnesium is also a metal element that is expected to be used in the battery field. Magnesium ions can carry twice the energy of lithium ions, while having a shorter charging time and stable performance. Magnesium batteries have been commercialized a few years ago, so compared to other new battery materials, they are expected to appear in the consumer field sooner.

　　Summarize

　　The above new battery technologies are still in the research and development stage, but it is certain that the improved technology based on lithium batteries is expected to be the first to enter the market, and we are expected to use lithium batteries with faster charging speed, more durable and safer within a few years. For completely different battery types such as supercapacitors and magnesium batteries, it will take time to complete. Once successful, the next revolution in electronic devices will come.