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🎧 Core technology of special microwave that helps produce sodium-ion batteries with less risk of explosions
💬 Frequent fires caused by lithium batteries, in factories that produce them, as well as electric vehicles have been a growing concern.
With an urgency to come up with an alternative battery, a team of local researchers seems to have discovered a new technology that may bring the commercialization of one sooner the sodium-ion battery.
Lee Eun-jin explains more.
In June, a fire broke out at a lithium battery-producing factory.
Even with efforts to extinguish the fire, the factory was filled with smoke.
Recently, various things that use lithium batteries, such as electric vehicles, have become leading causes of fires.
And so, amidst a sense of urgency to find a cheaper and safer alternative to lithium, sodium, a key element of salt, is gaining attention.
Accordingly, a local team of researchers has developed a technology that can quickly produce hard carbon cathode materials, a key component for sodium-ion batteries, a next-generation secondary battery.
Because there are more than one-thousand times the reserves for sodium than lithium, it is easier to collect, and it can maintain at least 90 percent of its performance at temperatures as low as negative 20 degrees Celsius.
It also has less risk of causing fire.
"Sodium-ion batteries are less reactive than lithium, so they have good electrochemical performance, and charge and discharge faster.
Furthermore, they have the advantage of maintaining their performance at lower temperatures."
Sodium-ion batteries have, until now, been difficult to commercialize because existing cathode materials could not be used and only a specific hard carbon cathode material is needed.
The problem is that in order to produce hard carbon, hydrocarbon materials need to be burned at high temperatures of over one-thousand degrees Celsius, making the process difficult and expensive.
To overcome this, the research team used a type of microwave-induced heating technology.
Much like quickly heating something in the microwave, this new process produces hard carbon in just 30 seconds at over 1-thousand-400 degrees Celsius.
"This technology is different from the conventional microwave technology in that it can selectively heat conductive materials at very high speed."
The research team explained that they used what's called a "multiphysics simulation" which calculates electromagnetic induction by microwaves and induced currents.
They also added that additional research will continue to improve the performance of hard carbon and to mass produce it, so that commercialization of sodium-ion batteries could happen sooner.
☄ @learnenglish_uz
🌐 Practice English with News
Practice English with News aims to help everyone who, like you, wants to practice English by listening to or reading real English news articles.
🎧 Core technology of special microwave that helps produce sodium-ion batteries with less risk of explosions
💬 Frequent fires caused by lithium batteries, in factories that produce them, as well as electric vehicles have been a growing concern.
With an urgency to come up with an alternative battery, a team of local researchers seems to have discovered a new technology that may bring the commercialization of one sooner the sodium-ion battery.
Lee Eun-jin explains more.
In June, a fire broke out at a lithium battery-producing factory.
Even with efforts to extinguish the fire, the factory was filled with smoke.
Recently, various things that use lithium batteries, such as electric vehicles, have become leading causes of fires.
And so, amidst a sense of urgency to find a cheaper and safer alternative to lithium, sodium, a key element of salt, is gaining attention.
Accordingly, a local team of researchers has developed a technology that can quickly produce hard carbon cathode materials, a key component for sodium-ion batteries, a next-generation secondary battery.
Because there are more than one-thousand times the reserves for sodium than lithium, it is easier to collect, and it can maintain at least 90 percent of its performance at temperatures as low as negative 20 degrees Celsius.
It also has less risk of causing fire.
"Sodium-ion batteries are less reactive than lithium, so they have good electrochemical performance, and charge and discharge faster.
Furthermore, they have the advantage of maintaining their performance at lower temperatures."
Sodium-ion batteries have, until now, been difficult to commercialize because existing cathode materials could not be used and only a specific hard carbon cathode material is needed.
The problem is that in order to produce hard carbon, hydrocarbon materials need to be burned at high temperatures of over one-thousand degrees Celsius, making the process difficult and expensive.
To overcome this, the research team used a type of microwave-induced heating technology.
Much like quickly heating something in the microwave, this new process produces hard carbon in just 30 seconds at over 1-thousand-400 degrees Celsius.
"This technology is different from the conventional microwave technology in that it can selectively heat conductive materials at very high speed."
The research team explained that they used what's called a "multiphysics simulation" which calculates electromagnetic induction by microwaves and induced currents.
They also added that additional research will continue to improve the performance of hard carbon and to mass produce it, so that commercialization of sodium-ion batteries could happen sooner.
☄ @learnenglish_uz