Future Technologies
There’s so much more I can do to this project into something great. Unfortunately I don’t have the time, money or resources to do it.
Flexible Batteries
A team of scientists from Stanford University have developed a flexible aluminium battery that is supposedly rechargeable, flexible and cheap. Furthermore it could even replace lithium-ion and alkaline batteries, which are harmful to the environment and can often catch fire. Hongjie Dai, one of the scientists said, “Our new battery won’t catch fire, even if you drill through it.” The battery uses an aluminium anode and graphite cathode suspended in an ionic liquid electrolyte. The entire unit is cased in a flexible polymer pouch, and can be recharged in minutes with very little degradation to the battery’s performance.
A typical lithium-ion battery will last about 1,000 discharge cycles before performance takes a major hit. Their prototype managed 7,500 full discharges before showing any damage. The battery currently produces just half the voltage of a typical lithium battery, but as it is in early stages of development there is definitely an opportunity to ultimately replace alkaline batteries altogether.
Source: www.theregister.co.uk
Liquid Metals
Liquid metal consists of gallium-containing alloys with very low melting points, which are liquid at room temperature. This paper on Galinstan based liquid metal as a new form of high power energy harvesting is an interesting read that explains how we reverse the electrowetting process: www.nature.com
Thermoelectricity
A team of researchers at the KAIST research institute in South Korea has developed a thermoelectric generator that is extremely light and flexible by combining inorganic materials on an organic substrate. This article explains the science and specifics behind the project: www.digikey.com
-andy