Gizmorama - November 18, 2015

Good Morning,

Lithium ion batteries may become a thing of the past. It appears that the batteries of the future may be powered by 'Fool's gold'. No, I'm not fooling about this. Read about this development below.

Learn about this and more interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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*-- 'Fool's gold battery' developed as alternative to lithium ion --*
ZURICH, Switzerland - Lithium ion batteries power a wide range of electronics, including electric cars. But researchers say it's unlikely to be the battery of the future. Instead, look to the "fool's gold battery."

Lithium is a finite resource. And as more and more products rely on the element, the precious resource is likely to become prohibitively expensive.

Material scientists have been working hard to come up with cheaper alternatives to lithium batteries. The latest potential solution is the fool's gold battery, developed by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, or ETH Zurich.

The fool's gold battery is made up of iron, sulfur, sodium and magnesium, all elements available in abundance.

The anodes, which facilitate electricity flow into the battery, are made of magnesium. The electricity inside the battery flows through an electrolyte solution made of magnesium and sodium ions. Nanocrystals made of pyrite -- crystalline iron sulfide, also known as fool's gold -- serve as the cathode, taking electricity out of the battery.

In other words, the magnesium charges and the pyrite discharges -- the energy flow traveling via sodium ions.

The main advantage of the battery is the availability of its materials. It can be made cheaply and easily. But there are other pluses. Magnesium anodes don't catch on fire as easily as lithium does.

In lab tests, 40 discharging and charging cycles failed to put a dint in the battery's performance, suggesting it can withstand extended use without degrading.

Unfortunately, the battery can facilitate as strong of an outflow of energy as lithium ion, making it unsuitable for things like electric cars, which need their batteries to deliver them a long burst of power and fast. Instead, the battery could serve as a cheaper storage battery for large-scale electricity systems.

All power generation systems need a cheap and efficient way to store excess energy. The fool's gold batteries could be installed at nuclear power stations, for example.

"The battery's full potential has not been exhausted yet," researcher Maksym Kovalenko, a chemistry professor at ETH Zurich, said in a press release. "If we refine the electrolytes, we're bound to be able to increase the electric voltage of the sodium-magnesium hybrid cell even further and to extend its cycling life. We also look for investors willing to support research into such post-Li-ion technologies and bring them to the market."

Kovalenko and his colleagues detailed their invention in a new paper published in the journal Chemistry of Materials.


*-- Giant Magellan Telescope construction begins in Chile --*
ATACAMA, Chile - Engineers, astronomers and leaders from a variety of international universities and research institutions gathered on Chile's Cerro Las Campanas on Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking for the Giant Magellan Telescope.

When completed, officials say it will be the largest telescope in the world, boasting an 80-foot-wide primary mirror system and capable of creating high-res images 10 times sharper than those produced by Hubble.

Once online, GMT will be able to locate the first objects to give off light in the universe and help astrophysicists study dark matter in greater detail. GMT will also aid space telescopes like Kepler in the search for habitable exoplanets.

Cerro Las Campanas, the peak the telescope will be perched atop, rises 8,200 feet out of Chile's Atacama Desert. It's part of a long mountain ridge that hosts several other telescopes. Collectively, the telescopes make up what's called the Las Campanas Observatory, which is owned and operated by the Carnegie Institution for Science.

The Atacama Desert is blessed with immense black skies. Little rain and few clouds mean skies are more often clear and ripe for gazing into deep space. The environment and atmosphere in the desert is also, predictably, very dry -- an advantage for astronomers and their telescopes.

Astronomy and water just don't mix very well," Patrick McCarthy, vice president of the Giant Magellan Telescope Corporation, told NBC News.

Water absorbs light and distorts the view of distant space. An arid environment ensures great clarity.

Some 88,000 cubic feet of rock have already been removed from the now-flattened peak. Construction workers will begin building the telescopes base and bringing in already constructed parts, assembling components piece by piece. The telescope isn't expected to be completed until 2021, and may not be operational until 2024.

Nonetheless, those involved with the project are excited about the progress.

"We are thrilled to be breaking ground on the Giant Magellan Telescope site at such an exciting time for astronomy," Taft Armandroff, GMT board chair, said in a press release. "With its unprecedented size and resolving power, the Giant Magellan Telescope will allow current and future generations of astronomers to continue the journey of cosmic discovery."

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