The most common design of lithium-ion batteries, it is difficult to improve, but scientists see great potential in the search for new materials for its components. This search has led scientists from Purdue University (USA) to the substance to diacriticals. They recently successfully tested the technology of its extraction from ordinary plastic bottles.
Diacritical is a form of polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which made most commercial disposable bottles. That is, of raw material, deposits the debris on the planet an incredible amount. The question how to recycle it quickly and inexpensively – and the answer is found in the use of microwave radiation.
Us scientists have shattered the plastic into small flakes, and then for 120 seconds, subjected to microwave radiation. As a result, the flakes caked into a sort of “flowers” from the set of petals, taking the form of diacritical, easy to create anodes of lithium-ion batteries. The authors emphasize that they used the analogue of domestic microwave ovens, but because the cost of processing plastic is close to zero.
Diacritical has much better electrochemical characteristics than the mixture of graphite and copper, which is used for anodes of batteries now. And it is environmental-friendly material, though a kind of plastic, but not to be toxic and fully recyclable. While it was a cheap PET, nobody was interested in, but the production of batteries – quite a different matter. It promises profit and may promote the process of global recycling on the planet.
Source — Purdue University