Columbia Engineers develop new powerful battery "fuel" -- an electrolyte that not only lasts longer but is also cheaper to produce.
Columbia Engineers develop new powerful battery "fuel" -- an electrolyte that not only lasts longer but is also cheaper to produce.
Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are critical to sustaining our planet, but they come with a big challenge: they don't always generate power when it's needed. To make the most of them, we need efficient and affordable ways to store the energy they produce, so we have power even when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining.
Columbia Engineering material scientists have been focused on developing new kinds of batteries to transform how we store renewable energy. In a new study published September 5 by Nature Communications, the team used K-Na/S batteries that combine inexpensive, readily-found elements -- potassium (K) and sodium (Na), together with sulfur (S) -- to create a low-cost, high-energy solution for long-duration energy storage.
“It’s important that we be able to extend the length of time these batteries can operate, and that we can manufacture them easily and cheaply,” said the team’s leader Yuan Yang, associate professor of materials science and engineering in the Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics at Columbia Engineering. “Making renewable energy more reliable will help stabilize our energy grids, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and support a more sustainable energy future for all of us.”
Read more at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science
Image: Optical microscope imaging of catholyte at room temperature, showing that no solid is formed at the end of discharge (right figure). The coiled carbon fibers, which are the current collector (substrate) for the catholyte, are visible. The two images show the catholyte’s color change during battery discharge. (Credit: Image courtesy of Yuan Yang lab/Columbia Engineering)
