Canadian discovery could help batteries last longer
https://canadatoday.news/ca/canadian-discovery-could-help-batteries-last-longer-252852/
Canadian discovery could help batteries last longer
Peter Harris
February 1, 2023
A chance discovery in a Canadian lab could help extend the life of batteries in laptops, phones and electric cars.
According to scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax, the common adhesive tape in batteries could be why many devices lose some of their performance when theyre turned off or unused, a phenomenon known as self-discharge.
In our lab we do a lot of highly complex experiments to improve batteries, but this time we discovered a very simple thing, said Michael Metzger, an assistant professor in Dalhousie Universitys Department of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences, in a press release. In commercial battery cells, theres tape like duct tape that holds the electrodes together, and theres a chemical breakdown of that tape, creating a molecule that causes self-discharge.
The solution is also simple, says Metzger: Replace the polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, plastic strap commonly used in batteries with something more durable and strong.
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Studies (Journal of The Electrochemical Society)
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1945-7111/acb10c
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1945-7111/acaf44
Dalhousie University article:
https://www.dal.ca/news/2023/01/16/dalhousie-battery-discovery-self-discharge.html