Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Michigan have borrowed insight from the biology lab and applied it to battery making.
The result is a research summary that describes what could be a blueprint for next-generation power packs for electric airplanes.
At issue is the power demand needed for planes to take off and land, which uses energy differently than electric vehicles.
"In an electric vehicle, you focus on capacity fade over time," study lead author Youngmin Ko, a Berkeley researcher, said in the lab summary. "But for aircraft, it's the power fade that's critical — the ability to consistently achieve high power for takeoff and landing."
The two-lab team decided to use omics to help better understand battery chemistry. Omics analysis helps scientists to study molecular processes in living systems, according to Joule, which published the Berkeley/Michigan research results.
The experts applied omics to analyze battery anodes, cathodes, and electrolytes — the key parts needed for the power pack to function. It's part of research the team considers to be an uncharted frontier of sorts.
"Heavy transport sectors, including aviation, have been underexplored in terms of electrification," Berkeley senior staff scientist Brett Helms said in the lab summary.
A key finding noted by the team was that adding certain salts to the electrolyte helped to form a protective cathode coating, reducing corrosion, and extending battery life. This was surprising, as past research suggested that power fade problems originate on the anode side of the pack.
They put their salty mix to the test, and the battery showed a "four-fold increase … in the number of cycles over which it could maintain the power-to-energy ratio needed for electric airflight" when compared to conventional batteries, all per the report.
"It was a non-obvious outcome," Ko said in the summary.
Sodium is being researched in labs around the world as a battery material that can help reduce reliance on expensive, hard-to-gather lithium. The abundant material could help more electric planes to take flight. Battery-powered flying machines are already in development, often in tandem with hydrogen fuel.
The aviation sector has contributed around 4% to our planet's overheating, according to Our World in Data. The harmful fumes are contributing to increased risks for severe weather, resulting in more storm-based property damage, per NASA. Part of the impact includes higher — or unavailable — insurance premiums in some regions.
Fortunately, you don't have to wait for an aviation battery breakthrough to go mainstream to take action. You can cut pollution and save money with some simple changes to your transportation plan. If you replace a two-mile drive with a walk each day, you can cut about 600 pounds of planet-warming pollution each year. You will likely knock off some extra pounds elsewhere, as well.
When it comes to longer trips, the Berkeley/Michigan team intends to keep working on its plane packs. The plan is to have enough batteries built for a test flight next year, according to the lab report.
"Our work redefines what's possible, pushing the boundaries of battery technology to enable deeper decarbonization," Helms said in the summary.
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