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We all have daily annoyances in life, but how many of us try to fix the problem?
Mya Le Thai, a California scientist studying for her Ph.D. at the University of California Irvine, recently discovered a process that may result in batteries never deteriorating. I recently spoke with her about the exciting discovery.
She always liked working with energy and was frustrated that her phone and laptop batteries would die over time. She was annoyed at how batteries degrade over time, failing to charge to their full capacity after a while.
Thai got tired of always having to keep her laptop plugged in because its battery would no longer hold a charge. “It actually bothered me a lot.”
She decided to do something about that problem.
Originally, she and her team at UC Irvine wanted to invent a new battery. But as they experimented with the components of the battery, she discovered a way that may make lithium-ion batteries last indefinitely.
Lithium-ion batteries power many tech devices, including smart phones, tablets, computers, etc. Over time these batteries hold less and less of a charge until finally they don’t hold a charge at all. Most of these batteries have a life span of about 7000 charging cycles before they die.
These batteries contain nanowires to conduct electricity. Nanowires are thousands of times thinner than a human hair and transmit electricity efficiently, making them useful battery components.
One of the reasons lithium-ion batteries degrade over time is that the nanowires are fragile and deteriorate. “Nanowires break and fracture over time,” explained Thai. “That’s why they lose capacity.”
Thai came up with a theory that if nanowires were coated with a gel, they may last longer. She and a team at UC Irvine tested her theory, using different coatings for nanowires.
She and the team experimented, trying many different types of coatings for the wires. “It was a long process and a lot of work.”
They discovered that using a gel called PMMA, similar to Plexiglas, to encase the wires prevented them from showing any signs of wear over time.
Thai tested her coated nanowires by cycling them through charges 200,000 times. While uncoated nanowires would be expected to fail after 7,000 cycles, the PMMA coated wires showed no evidence of deterioration after 200,000 cycles.
These results indicate the potential for batteries that could last eternally, without a degradation in charging capacity. Thai explained, “To be honest, I don’t know when (the PMMA coated wires) would start showing fading. To get to 200,000 cycles already takes about three months on just one device. It will take a long time to actually see whether the wires would eventually die.”
While her team at Irvine didn’t invent a new battery, Thai sees potential for these coated nanowires to be used in lithium-ion batteries in the future. Batteries with PMMA-coated nanowires could be used in future tech devices, cars, appliances, and even in spacecraft.
You can read more about the discovery at 100k Cycles and Beyond: Extraordinary Cycle Stability for MnO2 Nanowires Imparted by a Gel Electrolyte.
Looking ahead, Thai hopes to continue her research to understand why this gel works so well and see if any other gel could improve PMMA. “We can try to find a better gel to improve the performance, or we could test using different techniques to understand more of why this gel has been working so well.”
When she decided to pursue her passion for science she didn’t imagine her work would someday be reported in the news, but she is enjoying the publicity about her discovery. “It’s kind of cool. People give you high-fives and congratulate you. I’m really glad people are showing interest in my work and not just in the work itself, but also in technology and energy. I’m happy.”
Thai is due to graduate with her Ph.D. degree in a few months, then hopes to work at a job in California where she can continue to improve technology.
Your Thoughts
Have you ever been annoyed and discovered a solution to the problem? Have you ever been frustrated by batteries that lose charge over time? Do you look forward to a day when batteries last forever?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
* Image of Mya Le Thai courtesy of Steve Zylius/UCI, used with permission
Hi Carolyn,
This place really is a place of good news! I love the idea of a battery that lasts so long! Batteries are surprisingly expensive, and we need them for everything now! I’ve started to turn off my mouse at night to save battery power. Strangely, though, in a year my keyboard batteries have never needed to be replaced yet my mouse batteries have been replaced 2-3 times already! But I digress.
Maybe she will find a way to make a battery last longer in between charges?
Lori
Hi Lori, Yes, my laptop battery is almost dead. It only holds a charge for about 45 minutes which isn’t even enough time to write a blog post. Replacing it would be expensive. Maybe I’ll wait to replace it until I can get a battery that will never die over time!
You’re right, this is exciting news. I hope someone can bring this product to market someday soon.
Perhaps Thai’s next discovery would be one that extends the life of the battery between charges. That would be great too!
Hi Carolyn,
Interesting indeed 🙂
Oh yes! I think most bloggers and those working online, especially using their laptops, mobiles, and such gadgets, are frustrated by the battery giving up too soon or the recharge it needs so often. The layman doesn’t know how many cycles a battery has usually, as you mentioned, or that one should use it that carefully.
I think Mya Le Thai’s wonderful discovery that results in batteries never deteriorating, is simply awesome! I loved the way she explained the whole thing in the video as well. One could never imagine that it’s just a gel that could improve on PMMA, and that can make such a difference to the battery. Amazing indeed 🙂
Thanks for sharing it with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, how very cool that she was annoyed by a problem and actually fixed it! She had a brilliant idea and it worked. Her discovery may change lives in many ways for the future.
You’re right, anyone using electronics could benefit greatly from her discovery. I hope these batteries come to market soon.
How can I E mail this to a friend .
Hi Jerry, Yes, I have new sharing buttons now that don’t include the email option. Sorry about that!
To send this article via email, copy the web address above, or here:
https://wonderoftech.com/mya-le-thai-batteries-nanowires/
Then paste that web address into an email.
I hope this helps! Thank you very much for sharing this article, Jerry.
Wow, that is good news, but will the marketing industry let her use her finding. Hopefully yes, particularly in connection with phones that use a non-removable battery.
Unfortunately, at my age, I am a bit cynical about her invention being adopted by the marketing team behind new products, but one always looks for change.
Remember the good old days when we bought things that lasted for a very long time.
Yes, I do have some products that my parents used, but most of them come from the analogue world.
Hello Nicholas, Yes, I do hope her discovery turns into a marketable product. I think the first company that launches a battery that doesn’t degrade over time will be very successful!
Good point, we’re used to things wearing out sooner now than they did way back when. But how great would it be to get something that actually lasts longer?
Hi Carolyn,
That is a quite engaging article,truly believe and agree with you.
I really get annoyed by the fact that batteries are just useless after some years you just have no option but to throw them away.
I hope we get lifetime batteries soon !
Hi Zack, Yes, having batteries last eternally would certainly be useful and help to reduce waste. Be sure to try to recycle your batteries to reduce waste. See, Proper Disposal of a Lithium Ion Battery