lithium-air batteries
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- February 07, 2013
True or false: Lithium-air batteries will shortly revolutionize the electric and hybrid car industries.
The beliefs of naysayers to the contrary, some feel that lithium-air batteries have the potential to provide 20 times more power than the commonly used lithium-ion variety. That is, if they ever get them working.
How Does the Lithium-Air Battery Operate?
Lithium-air batteries utilize oxygen from the air around them to pull in electrons. The use of an external substance precludes the need to store all components inside, and that makes these batteries lighter and less complex. It may sound good, but it isn't all that easy.
The Trouble with External Air
In these batteries, while the anode contains lithium, the cathode contains ion-generating air. In order to produce ions inside the battery, the oxygen must get there in the first place. Once it's inside, something needs to prevent it from reacting negatively with the battery's internal components and causing premature failure.
At present,
