The race is on to discover better batteries for electronic devices. Batteries that will charge faster, discharge slower, last longer, and neither overheat nor swell. Researchers have started using silicon from glass recycling for better batteries in an exciting development that is ongoing. This is a great step forward for two important reasons:
1) Searching for a Battery Application for Recycled Glass
Glass weight and density adds greatly to the burden of municipal waste. Much of this is bottles, light bulbs, and broken glassware.
We could save 694 pound of carbon dioxide for every metric ton of glass we re-purpose. Thus, glass recycling forms an essential part of the drive for a cleaner, greener planet.
The commonest batteries in use are lithium-ion which find almost everywhere in society, from tiny wearables to electric cars. These batteries typically use graphite anodes and lithium cathodes for their terminals. This design works well, except the batteries warm and swell during charging.
Swelling of lithium-ion batteries is a concern for electronics manufacturers as most of their devices cannot accommodate much expansion. Graphite anodes have the advantage of suppressing this, although their capacity is relatively poor.
2) Silicon Nano Wires from Glass Recycling
Engineers have been experimenting with silicon obtained from glass recycling which has greater capacity than graphite. However, it also causes batteries to swell during battery charging so back to square one.
Battery engineers are making good progress with combining silicon nano wires with graphene and carbon. The reduced contact between the lithium and the electrode is good news for battery stability. A second line of thought involves using a composite of silicon and metal, alternatively silicon and graphite carbon.
Nowadays, we do not only hand in bottles at glass recycling points because this is the right thing to do. We also do it for the excitement of wondering what our bottles may become.
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Preview Image: Improving the Electro-Chemical Performance of Lithium-Ion Batteries
