Eco Factor: Researchers develop better electrodes for lithium ion batteries using wax and soap.
Rechargeable lithium ion batteries are an expensive proposition compared to normal batteries. However, given their necessity in terms of daily use researchers are looking out for cheaper alternatives to the lithium ion-metal oxide batteries. They have been successful in discovering that a little wax and soap can help build better electrodes thereby reducing the cost of batteries.
Material scientist Daiwon Choi at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed a simple method to turn lithium metal phosphate into a good electrode using paraffin wax and soap. The electrode ingredients were mixed with melted paraffin wax and oleic acid, this let the crystals grow and form themselves into a plate as the temperature reached 400 Celsius mark. When these nano plates were charged and discharged it was found that the LMP mini battery held a little more than 150 milliAmp hours per gram of material, higher than other researchers had been able to attain.
Via: Gizmag
