New Battery Coating

Many of you are getting ready for the last month or two of the school year.  Check out these past blog entries for End of School Year ideas:
 
06/01/2014             High School Lab Activity –Tie Dyeing
06/08/2014             Final Exams – End of Year Preparation
06/15/2014             End of Year Activity – Lab Clean-Up
04/30/2015             Lab Practical Examination
06/04/2015             Final Exams II
 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now.  It’s a great resource, especially with the 2016-2017 science budget being used up!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
“High performing lithium-ion batteries are a key component of laptops, smart phones, and electric vehicles. Currently, the anodes, or negative charged side of lithium ion batteries, are generally made with graphite or other carbon-based materials.

But, the performance of carbon based materials is limited because of the weight and energy density, which is the amount of energy that can be stored in a given space. As a result, a lot of research is focused on lithium-metal anodes.”
https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/46244
 
 “The team discovered that by coating the battery with an organic compound called methyl viologen they are able to stabilize battery performance, eliminate dendrite growth and increase the lifetime of the battery by more than three times compared to the current standard electrolyte used with lithium metal anodes.”
http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2017041820180082.html
 
“[R]esearchers designed a new strategy to form a stable coating to enhance the lifetime of lithium-metal anodes. They used methyl viologen, which has been used in other applications because of its ability to change color when reduced.

The methyl viologen molecule used by the researchers can be dissolved in the electrolytes in the charged states. Once the molecules meet the lithium metal, they are immediately reduced to form a stable coating on top of the metal electrode. …

The stable operation of lithium metal anodes, which the researchers have achieved with the addition of methyl viologen, could enable the development of next generation high-capacity batteries, including lithium metal batteries and lithium air batteries.”
https://www.ecnmag.com/news/2017/04/new-battery-coating-could-improve-smart-phones-and-electric-vehicles?cmpid=verticalcontent&__hstc=141644461.1bb630f9cde2cb5f07430159d50a3c91.1492473600115.1492473600116.1492473600117.1&__hssc=141644461.1.1492473600118&__hsfp=1773666937
 
There are several chemical names for methyl viologen, and this page shows a structural formula further down on the right:
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Methyl_viologen
 
The following webpage shows a structural formula of Methyl viologen dichloride hydrate:
http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/856177?lang=en&region=US
 
You may want to assign this article as a Homework assignment or an Extra Credit assignment because it is brief and shows a current application of batteries:
http://www.hitechdays.com/browser/207738/
 
Past blog entries about Electrochemistry include:
05/04/2014    Electrochemistry – Redox Basics
05/07/2014    Electrochemistry – Balancing Redox Rxns
05/14/2014    Electrochemistry – Electrochemical Cells
05/18/2014    Electrochemistry – Electrolytic Cells
05/07/2015    Penny Battery
08/20/2015    Thermoelectrics
05/22/2016    MFCs Turn Urine into Electricity
08/14/2016    Hydroelectric Cell Phone Chargers
02/03/2017    Video: Search for the Super Battery
​
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a great weekend!