A lab “accident” may solve your annoying battery problems.

Onkel Neal · 03-25-13, 07:16 AM

I hope this is not like so many other science miracles and it fades away.

Quote:

Batteries are terrible. Compared to many other methods of storing energy, especially fossil fuels, batteries aren’t very energy dense—that is, a 1-pound battery stores far less energy than is contained in a pound of gasoline. That wouldn’t be so bad if the energy in a battery were easy to replenish—your Tesla might still go only a couple hundred miles on a single charge, but if you could fully recharge it in five minutes rather than several hours, the low capacity wouldn’t bother you as much.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health...batteries.html

Catfish · 03-25-13, 08:30 AM

What about the hundred-year-old iron battery ?
Only 80 percent storage of a recent one, but holds forever !

But this may become a breakthrough, in a few years - thanks for posting !
The Max-Planck institute has just found aluminium to be the perfect stuff for batteries, last week - there's something happening after all this time

AVGWarhawk · 03-25-13, 08:45 AM

He does state at the end of the article that this is in the works. Possibly 5-6 years it could come to fruition. Admittedly, batteries have come a long way.

Sailor Steve · 03-25-13, 12:03 PM

We've all heard about Ben Franklin and the kite. What a lot of people don't know is that old Ben was a dedicated scientist. The kite-and-key experiment was actually very carefully controlled, and took place in a budding storm but not when actual lightning was coming down.

Franklin saw a static-electricity demonstration after he retired from the printing business and bought a set of six Leyden jars and a static generator. He conducted experiments over a period of several months, trying his jars both in series and in parallel. He then sent his papers to the Royal Academy of Sciences in London. They awarded him the Copley medal for scientific achievement, prompting him to write back "I am pleased to see that, while you have not yet perfected the creation of gold, you have discovered how to duplicate it."

Part of Franklin's paper was an apology for creating inadequate terms for dealing with the subject, and invited the Academy to change any of them they wished to. Among his "inadequate" terms were "Positive" and "Negative Charge", and "Storage Battery".

Benjamin Franklin was not only an author, politcian and statesmen, he was regarded by his peers as one of the great scientists of his time.

Oh, and the relevance? Franklin didn't invent the electric battery, but he did give it that name.

AVGWarhawk · 03-25-13, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

We've all heard about Ben Franklin and the kite.

Yes. Shocking.

Jimbuna · 03-25-13, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Yes. Shocking.

Beaten to it again

03-25-13, 12:03 PM	#4
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	We've all heard about Ben Franklin and the kite. What a lot of people don't know is that old Ben was a dedicated scientist. The kite-and-key experiment was actually very carefully controlled, and took place in a budding storm but not when actual lightning was coming down. Franklin saw a static-electricity demonstration after he retired from the printing business and bought a set of six Leyden jars and a static generator. He conducted experiments over a period of several months, trying his jars both in series and in parallel. He then sent his papers to the Royal Academy of Sciences in London. They awarded him the Copley medal for scientific achievement, prompting him to write back "I am pleased to see that, while you have not yet perfected the creation of gold, you have discovered how to duplicate it." Part of Franklin's paper was an apology for creating inadequate terms for dealing with the subject, and invited the Academy to change any of them they wished to. Among his "inadequate" terms were "Positive" and "Negative Charge", and "Storage Battery". Benjamin Franklin was not only an author, politcian and statesmen, he was regarded by his peers as one of the great scientists of his time. Oh, and the relevance? Franklin didn't invent the electric battery, but he did give it that name. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

03-25-13, 08:30 AM	#2
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,767 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	What about the hundred-year-old iron battery ? Only 80 percent storage of a recent one, but holds forever ! But this may become a breakthrough, in a few years - thanks for posting ! The Max-Planck institute has just found aluminium to be the perfect stuff for batteries, last week - there's something happening after all this time

03-25-13, 08:45 AM	#3
AVGWarhawk Lucky Jack Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a 1954 Buick. Posts: 28,261 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	He does state at the end of the article that this is in the works. Possibly 5-6 years it could come to fruition. Admittedly, batteries have come a long way.