Solvation cages may lead to more efficient operation of high-voltage battery cells
Membranes that allow certain molecules to quickly pass through while blocking others are key enablers for energy technologies from batteries and fuel cells to resource refinement and water purification. For example, membranes in a battery separating the two terminals help to prevent short circuits, while also allowing the transport of charged particles, or ions, needed to maintain the flow of electricity.
The most selective membranes - those with very specific criteria for what may pass through - suffer from low permeability for the working ion in the battery, which limits the battery s power and energy efficiency.
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IMAGE: Illustration of caged lithium ions in a new polymer membrane for lithium batteries. Scientists at Berkeley Lab s Molecular Foundry used a drug-discovery toolbox to design the selective membranes. The technology. view more
Credit: Artem Baskin/Berkeley Lab
Membranes that allow certain molecules to quickly pass through while blocking others are key enablers for energy technologies from batteries and fuel cells to resource refinement and water purification. For example, membranes in a battery separating the two terminals help to prevent short circuits, while also allowing the transport of charged particles, or ions, needed to maintain the flow of electricity.