How did you feel when your favorite electronic device, such as a smartphone or tablet, could not be charged anymore? Did you know there was a limit? Many electronic devices can be used for only 3 or 4 years because their battery life is not infinite. Fortunately, new research has found a way to extend battery life. I will explain this method of applying nanowire technology.
First, we must understand nanowires. A nanowire is thousands of times thinner than a human hair. It has a very good electrical conductivity, and it can store a lot of electric charges. However, according to some previous research, nanowires are very weak, so they will be broken after recharging a few thousand times. For example, a lithium battery can be recharged approximately three thousand times, similar to nanowire batteries, but if we can protect the nanowires, we can make these batteries a much longer time.
The image retrieve from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Nanowires_on_si_substrate.jpg, published under non-commercial use license.
A student at the University of California, Irvine(UCI) called Mya Le Thai found that nanowires can be recharged more than 200,000 times if they are coated with manganese oxide. She spent three months testing nanowires with this protective coating. They were recharged more than 200,000 times, and they remained intact and functional.
I think this research is very important because scientists have not improved the life of batteries for a long time. Nowadays, some people use electric cars to protect the environment, but the life and size of the battery is a major limitation to this vehicle technology. Moreover, many people get annoyed when they have to charge their electronic devices again and again, and doing so is inconvenient and risky, such as when a smoke detector or a home alarm system batteries stops working. If we could have a battery, which could last much longer or forever, these frustrating problems would be solved.
Zhongkai He
