A group of researchers from South Korea found a way to make an electric car capable of traveling up to 1,000 kilometers on just one battery charge. This finding could end the era of spark-ignition cars powered by fuel.
One of the main obstacles to the transition from petrol-powered motorized vehicles to electric vehicles is distance. Limited battery capacity makes consumers afraid to switch from fuel.
The focus of research by experts from Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, which was published in the journal Advance Science, is silicon material.
Silicon is widely researched for use in making batteries because it is abundantly available in various parts of the world. However, silicon also has characteristics that make it problematic.
The size of the silicon element can increase up to three times when charged, then shrink again. Because of this, most research tries to make batteries using silicon material in the form of very small nanoparticles.
The problem is, the cost of producing nanoparticles is very expensive and the process is very complex.
Researchers from Pohang have a different approach. Instead, they used reduced silicon particles 1,000 times larger, namely on a micro scale. Elements of this size are easier and cheaper to produce with greater energy density.
Researchers then looked for a solution to the problem of expanding and collapsing silicon particles. They use an electrolyte polymer gel whose shape changes when the silicon element changes shape. This gel is then chemically bonded with radiation via electron shots. The result is a stable bond even though the silicon particles expand and collapse.
In fact, the stability of the silicon battery made by the researchers is equivalent to a standard lithium-ion battery, with an energy density that is 40 percent greater.
“We used micro-silicon anodes, the result is still a stable battery. This research brings us closer to a high-energy-density lithium-ion battery system,” said Park Soojin from Pohang University.
The researchers say their battery design can be easily applied.
Source: https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/tech/20240222122451-37-516726/mobil-bensin-bakal-tamat-berkat-penemuan-baru-peneliti-korea