One of the hallmarks of human ingenuity is our never-ending quest to one-up ourselves. To make modes of transportation from cars to planes that go faster and faster. To create rockets and spaceships that can take us farther and farther into space. To create phones and computers that follow Moore’s Law, cramming more and more transistors onto chips as the devices themselves get smaller and smaller.
However, one technology that we have yet to perfect is the battery. We have yet to find a way to make them cheaper or last longer. Until now that is. That’s because Australian researchers at RMIT University have created a Proton battery that runs on carbon and water. Giving it the advantage of being made from abundant materials while also being rechargeable. And best of all, this new battery gives off zero emissions as well.
Futurism explains how it works, “The RMIT battery can be plugged into a charging port just like any other rechargeable battery. What happens next is remarkably simple: the electricity from the power supply splits water molecules, generating protons, which bond with carbon in the battery’s electrode. The protons are then released again to pass through the fuel cell, where they interact with air to form water and generate power.”
The hope is that these new batteries could one-day replace our reliance on lithium-ion batteries. Which is something that we desperately need to do considering the dwindling supply of rare-earth metals and other materials that are used to make them. Luckily, that definitely seems like it will be possible.
As Engadget puts it, “The big advantage with proton batteries compared to fuel cells is efficiency. The latter must produce hydrogen gas then split it back into protons, which creates losses. But a proton battery never produces hydrogen gas, so the energy efficiency is comparable to lithium-ion batteries.”
We’re constantly driven to innovate at break-neck speeds. To go faster. To go farther. To make things smaller. To keep pushing the envelope. Batteries not included. Hopefully, this new Proton battery changes all that.
Is a Proton battery the Greatest Idea Ever?
Leave a comment