Graphene Batteries: Characteristics, Advantages and Disadvantages
Graphene batteries for electric cars can revolutionize the conception that we currently have regarding the automotive world of the future. Graphene is defined as a monolayer of carbon atoms that are hexagonally and tightly packed into a 2-D lattice.
The high quality of 2-D glass makes graphene present great electronic properties, which is why it is being studied in depth in the application of Li-ion batteries. In this way, a clean and renewable source of power is being achieved, which could replace fossil fuels.
Graphene Batteries Characteristics
Science advances and seeks to adapt to the demands that society requires. Research on graphene batteries will make an ecological transition possible, as these could replace the use of fossil fuels. Some of the most outstanding characteristics of graphene batteries are:
- Energy density : this type of battery reaches a higher energy density than lithium batteries. That is, they can store much more energy.
- Charging speed : graphene batteries need less charging time. With this type of battery, in about 10 minutes, an electric vehicle or a mobile phone could be charged. If you are curious to know if it is worth the investment in an electric car? visit this article.
- Safety : Using these batteries is safer as they do not use liquid electrolytes. In this way the risks of explosion are reduced.
- Flexibility : thanks to the composition of the carbon atoms in a hexagonal shape, graphene is very flexible and thin, so it can adapt to conditions as required.
- Useful life and stability : graphene gives a structural stability that makes the anode volume of this type of batteries does not change every time a charge and discharge cycle occurs. Thanks to this, the useful life of graphene batteries is much greater than if it is compared to what other types of materials can offer.
- Improving the environment : graphene batteries can be of great help in the ecological transition. The fact that they do not have to be replaced so frequently is already a plus point in caring for the environment. In addition, graphene can produce energy if exposed to sunlight, which is why it also enters the list of green energies. It should be added that, at the time it is used in the automotive sector, they will be able to replace fossil fuels.
What are graphene batteries for electric cars and what are they for?
Graphene (discovered by Russian physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov in 2004, earning them the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics) is a substance composed of pure carbon whose atoms are arranged in a regular hexagonal pattern and is often described as the stuff of the future. This abundant nanomaterial obtained from graphite is 200 times more resistant than structural steel, very light and flexible and is a better thermal and electrical conductor than copper , which is a revolution.
Graphene is currently used in the manufacture of new batteries , which allows greater autonomy and shorter charging times . Thus, the graphene electrode is already being used in conventional batteries – such as Lithium-Ion batteries – that allow recharging in a very short time. Another case is that of the Spanish firm Grabat, born from the collaboration between the company Graphenano and the University of Córdoba, which produces graphene polymer cells for different types of batteries.
Advantages of graphene
Among the main advantages that graphene batteries will have when they are fully operational, the following can be mentioned:
- The energy density of these will be much higher.
- The charging time is reduced , since the charging cycles they will have will be 100 times faster than what we currently know.
- They will offer greater security .
- Their weight is much lower and they will take up to 30% less space .
- It will give electric vehicles a range of up to 800 kilometers away.
- It has a lifespan 4 times longer than lithium batteries.
Disadvantages of graphene
Although there are many advantages that graphene batteries can offer, they also have their disadvantages. Some of them are:
- Graphene is not a magical material : the researchers behind the study of graphene are trying to find out all the potential of this material. However, not everything they discover is applied in practice.
- There are difficulties for commercial applications : despite all the research and the more than 6,000 scientific articles that exist on this material, there are still no products on the market with this material.
- Graphene is an unstable material : Graphene is an unstable material, so treating and working with it is not easy. The operations to work on it are not simple, they require a lot of time and a large economic investment, so not all companies are within reach or willing to invest.
- Its entry into the market is slowing down: the material has been abandoned for decades, that is, it did not have the interest of the scientific community to be studied. Surely the fact that lithium reserves are running out has brought graphene research to the fore.
Not because we have mentioned the disadvantages, we must forget that graphene is a material that, in the future, can help us a lot when used in a large number of devices. We could eventually use graphene batteries for electric motorcycles, for mobile phones or smartwatches and activity bracelets, and even for electric cars as well.
