The
recent break-through by Rice University researchers in nano-tube development
can be path breaking in the portable rechargeable battery segment. Before we
discuss it, it is better if we go through batteries and their effectiveness in
the perspective of the invention.
Batteries
in the rechargeable segment come in three types. The Lead-Acid, Nickel- Cadmium
and Lithium ion. All these three have something common. They store electrical
energy in chemical form and this when required is taken for use. This is not
like a capacitor where the energy is momentarily stored and the discharge rate
can’t be brought to a minimal value to use it effectively. A capacitor is more
suitable for instantaneous discharge whereas the battery works till there is
enough chemical compound to continue the reaction and generate electricity. In
all of them the process is reversible so that when electric current is supplied
to the batteries they chemicals return to their original state and are ready
for further electricity generation. The strength and ability of the batteries
depend on the surface area of the electrodes and so most of the batteries have
sheets rather than rods to do this.
In
this situation the break through is important because this increases the
surface by so many multiples that strength of the battery is increased infinite
times. How? Rechargeable batteries work on the material present in the
electrodes and more surface area present will increase the durability of the
battery. So the seamless nanotubes of Carbon grown from the sheet of Carbon
will provide an integral surface for the batteries. By conservative estimates
this can have the lives of batteries increased by multiple times. Their
benefits?
The
first of them is in getting the interruptions between meetings eliminated. That
too with the prized and valuable client. This is we are talking about the long
distance internet conference in your tablet. The charging period will
comparatively increase but not so much as the other. The battery life is something that is one of
the first steps to supercomputers that will draw lot of energy and this battery
alone can fulfil some part of it. Rather than having a long rack of batteries
for servers this can do it is combination of two or three batteries. Since all
the growth of surface is in micro measurements the battery size also diminishes
and space for it reduced substantially.
The
batteries will not only serve the digital electronics as we know it but some
other devices where the requirement is smaller and the drain intensity is also
not that high. If they are used in combination then there are more
possibilities with higher intensity. Getting batteries or power sources that
support working continuously for infinite time is a real advantage to reap
benefits. As world is more digitized and more electronics devices enter our
lives it is natural that a heavy duty power source for them can give lot of
good results.
Green
initiative is another benefit this is going to give us. The cumbersome
manufacturing processes are the only part to spoil any environment and there is
enough time for the researchers to find a decent means of easy, cheap
industrial process for commercial development of this battery. There will be
time enough to hope that they will be cleaner by then to give us ultimate
satisfaction.