Powered by Seaweed

[10mph]

I spotted a reference to a new battery anode construction in the CERN Courier today.

Here is bit from a web news page at Powered by seaweed: Polymer from algae may improve battery performance

Thus far, the researchers have demonstrated that the alginate can produce battery anodes with reversible capacity eight times greater than that of today's best graphite electrodes. The anode also demonstrates a coulombic efficiency approaching 100 percent and has been operated through more than 1,000 charge-discharge cycles without failure.

I am not sure if anyone has already posted this news story on the forum. It did not show up in a search. It has the potential for a massive improvement in Li-ion battery performance for a given weight and probably volume.

 

[eddieo]

I'm oft to the seside now to collect a batch, before the Chinese buy up the world stock....

 

[flecc]

Someone did mention it previously, as ever though I'm cautious about battery advancement claims

Certainly there must be room for anode improvement since all use carbon based ones at present and not much research has been done into alternatives to date. One exception though was a claim of big prospects for a carbon nanotube variation, but that seems to have gone quiet since.