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The Future
Lithium Ion technology continues to improve. Recent research in nanotechnology may enable the production of ultra-thin Li-ion batteries with as much as ten times the energy density of current types. New cathode materials are being developed that give greatly improved shelf life and charge duration. As well as this there are variations on Li-ion technology that result in lower capacities but much lower fire or explosion risk, as well as other developments that give much faster recharge times, fully charging a battery in just a few minutes.

One interesting future development is the miniature fuel cell. These devices have been due to go on sale “any time now” for at least the past five years, but never quite seem to make it to market. Developed by Casio, the fuel cells promise four times the power capacity of a similarly-sized Li-ion battery, for example the ability to power a laptop computer for as much as 20 hours, and are much more environmentally friendly than normal electrochemical batteries.

The fuel cells run on hydrogen extracted from liquid methanol, and could be recharged from a pressurised canister of fuel, rather like refilling a cigarette lighter. One problem with this technology is the post-9/11 prohibition on carrying liquids, especially flammable liquids, on aircraft.

Another possible path for power storage is the supercapacitor. Capacitors are electronic components that store charge, and have been in use in everyday electronic devices for many decades. However advances in material science, and especially the use of carbon nanotubes, have allowed the creation of capacitors with many thousands of times the charge capacity of previous types, which opens up the possibility of using these devices instead of batteries for some applications.

Advantages include exceptionally high energy density, low weight, very fast charging times and very high efficiency. Already supercapacitors have been used in some transport applications, including electric buses, and have also been used as lightweight power sources on some model aircraft, notably popular ultra-light model helicopters.

Whatever the future holds, the popularity and indispensable usefulness of portable electronics, and the advances being made in the development of electric vehicles will ensure that advances will continue to be made in power storage. Necessity is the mother of invention, and the future is going to need much better batteries.

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