Zombie batteries generate electricity even after the electrolyte has completely dried
Welcome to our readers on the iCover Blog Pages . Today we will tell you about the amazing and useful discovery of Swedish scientists, which made us take a fresh look at the possibilities of “old” liquid solar cells.
Exploring the properties of liquid solar cells, a group of scientists led by Professor Jerrit Boschlu from Uppsala University, Sweden came to a very unexpected, and incredible, at first glance, conclusion. During the experiment, it turned out that liquid solar cells of a certain type are capable of efficiently generating electricity even after they have completely consumed the entire supply of electrolyte. During the experiment, scientists used old batteries from Herzel cells that lay for many months before the experiment began in a dark room. Naturally, all the electrolyte between the anode and cathode in them has long dried out.
As Professor Boschlu testifies, old batteries with dried electrolyte in some cases showed greater efficiency than at the stage of active “life” when the electrolyte supported their work. Having increased their efficiency by 8%, old batteries with dried electrolyte managed to set an absolute record in the class of liquid batteries with Goertzel cells. Prof. Boschlu's in-depth study of the effect was carried out by Marina Freitag, who was not without a sense of humor, who called these strange batteries that show signs of life contrary to the well-known physical laws and established standards for “zombie batteries”.
The explanation of the phenomenon was no less original than its fact. The electrons in the electrically conductive liquid of the Hertzel cells are transferred in the process of redox reactions involving copper. After evaporation of the electrolyte, the medium in a thin, dry, salt layer created the possibilities for the formation of “hole” conductivity, which stimulates the transfer of positive charges. In order to get zombie batteries artificially, scientists repeated the whole process with the evaporation of the electrolyte under controlled conditions.
“Attempts to make a zombie cell in the traditional way used in the manufacture of solid-state solar cells have encountered a number of problems. Slow artificial evaporation of the electrolyte of the most common liquid battery under the supervision of specialists has allowed us to form the correct conductive structure that perfectly copes with the task. ” - Professor Boshlu shares his impressions.
According to the experts of the group participating in the experiment, the decisive advantages of zombie batteries can be considered their reliability and stability. Since there is no electrolyte in such a battery, the probability of its failure due to leakage of liquid is reduced to zero. Moreover, the electrolyte flowing out of a pressurized liquid battery is potentially dangerous, it is a rather dangerous and aggressive environment that can corrode surrounding structures and harm the environment.
The results obtained as a result of the experiments inspire Jerryte Boschl and his colleagues with justified optimism. “Having established the production cycle of zombie cells and developed reliable quality packaging for them that can withstand years of continuous operation, we are likely to be able to attract serious investments ...”, the professor is sure, “in our laboratory there are effective samples that lay before the experiment with them in the dark indoors for many months. ”
The ultimate goal of a team of specialists led by Boschlu is to create a unique tile from the dry cells of Herzel. Cells show relatively modest performance in daylight. At the same time, simple calculations with the data obtained as a result of the experiment made it possible to verify that solar cells on the dry cells of Goertzel will be able to generate kilowatts of electricity even in cloudy weather. This may seem like a very useful advantage in humid regions where high cloud cover is the norm.
“By reducing the size of zombie batteries, we can use them as chargers in laptops and smartphones.” - experts are sure.
You can get acquainted with the original publication on the website of Uppsala University .
Dear readers, we are always happy to meet and wait for you on the iCover blog pages! We are ready to continue to please you with our publications and will try to do everything possible to ensure that the time spent with us is pleasing to you. And, of course, do not forget to subscribe to our columns and we promise that you won’t be bored!
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Exploring the properties of liquid solar cells, a group of scientists led by Professor Jerrit Boschlu from Uppsala University, Sweden came to a very unexpected, and incredible, at first glance, conclusion. During the experiment, it turned out that liquid solar cells of a certain type are capable of efficiently generating electricity even after they have completely consumed the entire supply of electrolyte. During the experiment, scientists used old batteries from Herzel cells that lay for many months before the experiment began in a dark room. Naturally, all the electrolyte between the anode and cathode in them has long dried out.
As Professor Boschlu testifies, old batteries with dried electrolyte in some cases showed greater efficiency than at the stage of active “life” when the electrolyte supported their work. Having increased their efficiency by 8%, old batteries with dried electrolyte managed to set an absolute record in the class of liquid batteries with Goertzel cells. Prof. Boschlu's in-depth study of the effect was carried out by Marina Freitag, who was not without a sense of humor, who called these strange batteries that show signs of life contrary to the well-known physical laws and established standards for “zombie batteries”.
The explanation of the phenomenon was no less original than its fact. The electrons in the electrically conductive liquid of the Hertzel cells are transferred in the process of redox reactions involving copper. After evaporation of the electrolyte, the medium in a thin, dry, salt layer created the possibilities for the formation of “hole” conductivity, which stimulates the transfer of positive charges. In order to get zombie batteries artificially, scientists repeated the whole process with the evaporation of the electrolyte under controlled conditions.
“Attempts to make a zombie cell in the traditional way used in the manufacture of solid-state solar cells have encountered a number of problems. Slow artificial evaporation of the electrolyte of the most common liquid battery under the supervision of specialists has allowed us to form the correct conductive structure that perfectly copes with the task. ” - Professor Boshlu shares his impressions.
According to the experts of the group participating in the experiment, the decisive advantages of zombie batteries can be considered their reliability and stability. Since there is no electrolyte in such a battery, the probability of its failure due to leakage of liquid is reduced to zero. Moreover, the electrolyte flowing out of a pressurized liquid battery is potentially dangerous, it is a rather dangerous and aggressive environment that can corrode surrounding structures and harm the environment.
The results obtained as a result of the experiments inspire Jerryte Boschl and his colleagues with justified optimism. “Having established the production cycle of zombie cells and developed reliable quality packaging for them that can withstand years of continuous operation, we are likely to be able to attract serious investments ...”, the professor is sure, “in our laboratory there are effective samples that lay before the experiment with them in the dark indoors for many months. ”
The ultimate goal of a team of specialists led by Boschlu is to create a unique tile from the dry cells of Herzel. Cells show relatively modest performance in daylight. At the same time, simple calculations with the data obtained as a result of the experiment made it possible to verify that solar cells on the dry cells of Goertzel will be able to generate kilowatts of electricity even in cloudy weather. This may seem like a very useful advantage in humid regions where high cloud cover is the norm.
“By reducing the size of zombie batteries, we can use them as chargers in laptops and smartphones.” - experts are sure.
You can get acquainted with the original publication on the website of Uppsala University .
Dear readers, we are always happy to meet and wait for you on the iCover blog pages! We are ready to continue to please you with our publications and will try to do everything possible to ensure that the time spent with us is pleasing to you. And, of course, do not forget to subscribe to our columns and we promise that you won’t be bored!
Our other articles