The PolyZion project is striving to come up with next generation zinc plastic batteries that are lighter, cheaper and long lasting. Equipped with greener features, these batteries will replace the present generation nickel metal hydride, lithium-ion and lead acid batteries that are preferred for hybrid and other electric vehicles. The zinc plastic batteries will be ahead in their performance than the prevailing class.
Scientists at the PolyZion Project of the University of Leichester are working hard to develop greener batteries for electric vehicles that will be light, inexpensive, environmentally friendly and will produce better performance with longer life. Conventional lead acid, lithium ion and nickel metal hydride batteries are heavy, expensive and are prone to accidents. On the contrary, the rechargeable zinc plastic batteries conceived by the researchers of PolyZion will be light, inexpensive, long lasting, deliver better performance and absolutely safe to use.
According to Claire Fullarton, the postgraduate researcher of the Chemistry Department, the researchers are working to produce zinc plastic batteries incorporating environmentally friendly moisture resistant electrolytes in the battery. The electrolytes used in conventional batteries are moisture sensitive that impedes the performance. The introduction of moisture insensitive electrolytes will increase the performance and durability of the zinc plastic batteries. Moreover, these electrolytes will minimize the liberation of hydrogen gas, the main causative factor for the burning cases of lithium-ion batteries. The zinc based batteries will constitute of nano size zinc deposits and super fast conducting polymer layers enabling fast charging. The special design of this battery will provide better charge retention and least self discharge enhancing the shelf life of the battery.
This will reduce botheration of frequent re-charging of the car batteries. The charge-discharge efficiency of zinc plastic batteries will be over 90% lasting for more than 1000 cycles. The super fast charging ability of these batteries will prevent distortion reducing the chances of short-circuit. Given the situation of rising oil prices and environmental concerns, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles producing least or zero emission will be dominating the future. This opens up wide avenues of using cheap and fast rechargeable batteries for the vehicles. Zinc plastic batteries conceived by PolyZion present a bright future in the development of battery technology promising super performance and long shelf life without any hazard.
This PolyZion project, costing EUR 3.5 million, has several European partners like University of Porto, C- Tech Innovation, CIDETEC, KEMA Nederland BV, Celaya Emparanza y Galdos SA (Cegasa), Institute de Recherche d’Hydro- Quebec, Rescoil and Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry and is turning out to be the most promising project for the future battery technology.
Source: Gizmag
