8 hours ago
MIT researchers develop high-performance power source that transform future planes and trains: 'This work suggests a pathway'
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed high-performance sodium-air fuel cells that could provide an affordable power source for electric planes and trains.
According to MIT News, the prototype devices offer a significant increase in energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries, potentially capable of unlocking three times as much energy per pound as today's top-performing electric vehicle batteries.
Since it can store more energy for its weight and size, it could be a viable power source for electric aviation, where weight is a major factor.
The device utilizes a reaction between liquid sodium metal, a readily available resource that can be extracted from table salt, and air to generate electricity. Along with being cost-effective and efficient, the new fuel cell is also significantly safer than lithium-ion batteries, as it utilizes air as one of its reactants, which is less prone to spontaneous combustion when exposed to moisture.
Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor of materials science and engineering, said that the ideal energy density for regional electric planes is about 1,000 watt-hours per kilogram, but that wouldn't be nearly enough juice to power international flights. However, it would be a decent start, as MIT News reported that domestic flights are responsible for 30% of pollution from the aviation sector.
The technology could be used in trains, boats, and potentially even large drones, offering a planet-friendly alternative to fossil fuels that are driving extreme weather and rising global temperatures.
Humans and wildlife would benefit as well, as the burning of dirty fuels causes widespread health issues such as respiratory illnesses, cancer, and other ailments that reduce quality of life.
As a bonus, the sodium air fuel cells don't produce carbon dioxide pollution and their by-products, such as sodium oxide, actually help absorb planet-warming gases in the atmosphere.
In addition, "if the final product, the sodium bicarbonate, ends up in the ocean, it could help to deacidify the water, countering another of the damaging effects of greenhouse gases," reported MIT News.
The device exists as a small prototype, but Propel Aero, a battery company formed by members of the MIT research team, is working to commercialize the technology. The startup plans to build a prototype fuel cell the size of a shoebox for large drones within a year.
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"We expect people to think that this is a totally crazy idea," Chiang said. "If they didn't, I'd be a bit disappointed because if people don't think something is totally crazy at first, it probably isn't going to be that revolutionary."
"Combined with historical precedents for the large volume production of sodium metal, this work suggests a pathway for utilization of sodium metal as a sustainable, low-carbon energy carrier," the team noted in its paper, which was published in the journal Joule.
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