First Atomic Level Simulation of a Whole Battery

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/518446/first-atomic-level-simulation-of-a-whole-battery/

[font face=Serif]The Physics arXiv Blog
August 21, 2013

[font size=5]First Atomic Level Simulation of a Whole Battery[/font]

[font size=4]Computer scientists have simulated from first principles the way batteries wear out as they are charged and discharged for the first time[/font]



[font size=3]When it comes to developing the next generation of technology, the biggest bottleneck is arguably the battery. Engineers need better batteries for electric vehicles, for energy storage in power grids and, of course, for consumer electronic devices.

These batteries need to deliver a higher current over more discharge cycles with a greater energy density, to name just a few of the challenges.

Building and testing new battery designs is time-consuming, difficult and expensive. So it is handy for electrochemists to simulate the way a battery performs before they ever get their hands dirty.

…

Today that changes thanks to the work of Wolf Dapp at the Institute for Advanced Simulation and Martin Muser at the University of Saarlandes, both in Germany. These guys have simulated the behaviour of a whole battery on the atomic scale. And their simulation reproduces many of the real characteristics of a battery from first principles for the first time.

…[/font][/font]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1308.3424

[kristopher]

1. Sweet! nt

[longship]

2. If this nut could only be cracked, we could be home free.

Advancements in battery technology always seem to be incremental, and nearly always with trade offs. Modeling what is really happening at the atomic level should help getting through the problems.

R&K