Scientists at Hydro-Quebec and McGill University are developing technology that could make battery chargers a thing of the past. You may no longer have to worry about trying to find the nearest phone charger or outlet with this new battery technology that is being developed.
Lithium-ion batteries are a huge factor in most of the cell phones, tablets, and computers that are in use today. While the convenience they offer is great, the frequent recharging that they need due to their limited energy density is not.
New technology developed by Hydro-Québec and McGill University could one day make battery chargers obsolete. (McGill University)
The need for a full charge has led to the development of solar chargers. These devices are great in theory, but hard to make compact due to their circuitry and packaging issues.
Scientists at Hydro-Quebec are working on a single device that is able to harvest and store energy using light, creating a self-charging battery.
A standard cathode from a lithium-ion battery can be changed so it harvests lights by incorporating photo-harvesting dye molecules. This changes the charging process from an electrical source to a solar source. This part of the process has been done. Now the scientists have to focus on building an anode which closes the circuit and allows energy produced by the cathode to be transferred and stored.
Phase two of the project is funded by at $564,000 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The grant will give scientists the opportunity to close the gap between the two phases and prove that a light-chargeable battery is possible. Once this is proved, the team can focus on miniaturizing the system so it can fit portable technology, like a cell phone.
"Hydro-Québec has a strong global position with regard to the development of innovative, high-performance and safe battery materials," says Karim Zaghib Director - Energy Storage and Conservation at IREQ, Hydro-Québec's research institute.
The second phase of this project may take years to develop, but it looks like self-charging cell phones are not too far away in our future.
