The see-through future of gadgets: Stanford transparent batteries

The concept of completely transparent gadgets have not moved beyond the state of ideas. However, new lithium-ion batteries developed by a group of scientists at the Stanford University could make that idea a living reality. It can change the way the human-technology relationship has evolved till now. The new batteries are so transparent that you can actually see through them. Not only this, they wouldn't cost much because of the cheap resources employed in their making.

Transparent batteries

The electrodes of the new battery have been arranged in a mesh-like grid. The width of each line in the grid is about 35 microns which is so thin that light can easily pass through them and make the entire arrangement appear transparent to the eyes. Unlike other batteries that use copper or aluminium, this transparent battery uses a compound called polydimethylsiloxane which is transparent and also very cheap. The Stanford scientists had to deposit some metal onto this compound to make it conductive, since it is non-conductive. During the tests, the new batteries were up to 62 percent transparent in the visible light and are expected to cost the same as other batteries available in the market today.

However, these batteries are not as powerful as the non-transparent lithium-ion batteries that are at present widely used in laptops and mobile phones. They can produce only half the energy produced by non-transparent lithium-ion batteries. According to the scientists, the energy produced by the transparent batteries can be compared with less powerful nickel-cadmium batteries that are mostly used in cameras. It is expected that new developments in the field of material science will increase the capacity of these transparent batteries. Also, the scientists hope to make more powerful batteries using layers of the basic electrode used to make this battery.

The day is not far when we would be using various gadgets such as mobiles phones, and i Pods that are completely transparent. We all agree that the future of technology depends on products that can not only serve but deliver experiences by bridging the gap between technology and people. Transparent gadgets hold the promise of fulfilling this purpose. As they will allow people to gain the experience of the working of their machines even while they are using them. The new batteries can be seen as an important step in that direction. Also, these batteries can prove to be of immense help to the researchers because of the transparency.

Via: StanfordNews