New research out of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has found a way to produce clean energy in a more cost-efficient manner.
Technion M.Sc. student Lihi Amit has found a way to lower the cost of replacing the membrane of rechargeable batteries by finding an alternative method to do so.
While renewable resources promise unlimited and clean energy production, that promise can't always be fulfilled. Varying factors, such as wind and sunlight, are not always in constant supply, making energy storage a necessity in energy harvesting. In addition, the rechargeable batteries used to store such energy production are quite costly.
The 'flow batteries' that are ordinarily used consist of two electrolyte liquids with opposite charges that are pumped through the battery. A 'selective membrane' keeps the battery from self-discharging so that the chemicals interacting on the two electrode conductors can create a current.
Amit used bromine and zinc – both cheap materials – and coupled them with a generic complexing agent to trap bromine in droplets, mimicking an oil-and-water effect in the battery, to prevent the electrolytes from flowing together, mixing and self-discharging, the same way the membrane does.
This allowed for a controlled release of the bromine to keep the electric current flowing, creating a fluid membrane of single droplets. Cheaper batteries could make solar, wind, and other renewable sources, that are not always present and usually require special storage, a more reliable option for energy production.
