Beyond today’s batteries

This exercise is a part of Educator Guide: Charging the Future / View Guide
  1. Search for an article discussing unusual materials that might be used to make batteries. Explain how the material could be beneficial in a battery.  Possible student response:
    https://www.sciencenews.org/article/idea-new-battery-material-isn’t-nuts. In 2015, an article discussed the use of packing material peanuts to enhance the charging and discharging performance of a lithium-ion battery. Carbon-containing packing peanuts were baked and compressed into microsheets, which were then placed into the battery’s anode.
  2. Find an article that discusses the revamping of an early battery technology. Explain it.  Possible student response: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/old-battery-gets-high-tech-makeover. This 2012 article discusses the redesign of Edison’s nickel-iron battery, which was originally patented in 1901.  
  3. Find an article that talks about alternatives to batteries for powering personal electronic devices. Describe what you find.  Possible student response: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/double-charging-material-makes-run-sun-extra-powerful. This 2016 article discusses a lightweight material that can capture and store solar as well as mechanical energy in a supercapacitor to power personal electronic devices.