Battery performance can be improved by Algae Compound

Researchers have found a compound in algae that can help to improve the performance of Lithium ion battery.

This research is published in the journal “Science” and is done by the researchers from Clmenson University and the Georgian Institute of Technology and is granted by Honda and NASA.

The compound is known as “Alginate” and is obtained from the common “Brown algae”. The compound not only improves the energy storage and output of graphite based electrodes but also silicon based electrodes. Alginates are already in use in pharmaceutical products, foods and papers and certain other applications.

The batteries operated on this compound are thought to be not only improved but also reduced the cost of batteries being used in a wide range of applications such as from cell phones to cars.

Lithium ion batteries work on the transference of lithium ions between two electrodes during the cycles of charge and discharge. The more efficiently electrons are transferred more will be the battery’s capacity. Researchers found that there is an 8-fold increase in the reversible capacity of battery anodes as compared to conventional graphite anodes, if silicon nanopowder is mixed with alginate.

Reference:

Kovalenko, I. et. al. (2011). A Major Constituent of Brown Algae for Use in High-Capacity Li-Ion Batteries. Science.10.1126/science.1209150