Graphene battery vs lithium-ion

In the realm of energy storage, the competition between the Graphene battery vs lithium-ion battery has given rise to two groundbreaking technologies that vie for supremacy in powering our modern world.

Graphene is the newest, most exciting material of this century. While lithium-ion was the king of batteries in terms of power and performance in the past, graphene battery technology is proving to be vastly superior in every aspect.

Graphene batteries have higher electrical conductivity than lithium-ion. As a result, they are lighter in weight, charge faster, deliver higher current, and hold more power per pound than lithium-ion batteries. They are also thinner and allow greater power storage capacity without increasing the space requirements.

How does graphene outperform one of the most efficient batteries ever designed, and what are the differences in performance between the two? Let’s charge up and learn more about graphene batteries and why they could soon signal lithium-ion’s death.

Graphene battery vs lithium-ion battery – What Are The Key Differences?

First, both battery types have the same fundamental operation. Each uses a conductive material immersed in an electrolyte that creates a flow of electrons to produce an electric current that powers devices.

But here is where any similarity between these two batteries ends. Lithium-ion began life in the 1970s and rapidly became the best battery solution. 

Lithium-ion batteries became cheaper and the preferred choice for digital devices like mobile phones, PV System storage, electric golf carts, and electric cars.

While lead-acid batteries are much cheaper than lithium-ion, the performance of lithium batteries far outweighed those of any lead-acid battery. So even today, if you wanted the best option in terms of charging and discharging, lithium-ion would have been the best option.

The production of graphene in 2004 and the subsequent research into its atomic structure and properties created a massive wave of excitement in the scientific community. Graphene is a single layer of carbon with a thickness of one atom, 300 000 times thinner than human hair.

Graphene is lighter in weight than graphite and is far superior in conductivity. Graphene is also currently the most robust material ever found. It is 300 times stronger than A36 construction steel and 40 times stronger than diamonds!

Graphene battery vs lithium-ion – Power Storage 

In terms of performance, graphene’s energy storage capacity is far superior to lithium-ion. It’s comparable to how lithium-ion is superior to lead-acid batteries, as seen in this video.

A battery’s efficiency is measured by the amount of power it can store relative to its weight; in this case, graphene outperforms lithium by more than 550%! For example, a lithium-ion battery can hold about 180wH per 2,2 pounds. In contrast, a graphene battery can store 1000wH of power at the same weight!

This significant difference creates the prospect of adopting graphene-based batteries. It also presents the possibility of transitioning from fossil fuels to hyper-efficient electric power.

Moreover, graphene batteries can charge significantly faster than lithium-ion batteries. This attribute makes graphene batteries perfectly suited for devices that require efficient overall performance.

As Europe and the US seek to move away from fossil fuel vehicles, graphene batteries could power electric cars in the future.

But efficiency and conductivity are not the only properties that make graphene a more appealing alternative – one of the most significant issues graphene batteries address is safety

Graphene battery vs lithium-ion – Which Is Safer

Inside the battery, a thin film of polypropylene called a separator separates the anode and cathode. If the anode and cathode touch, it could trigger an explosive reaction resulting in fire and potential injury. Hence the reason why the separator is an essential safety measure. 

Based on research and evaluations done by Android Authority, graphene batteries are far safer than lithium-ion. PUT LINK HERE

For the most part, lithium-ion batteries have a good safety record. Still, there have been instances where lithium-ion batteries have caught fire or exploded, resulting in users being burnt. For this reason, lithium-ion batteries are banned from being stored in the cargo hold on airplanes.

Graphene batteries eliminate this risk almost entirely as one of the electrodes is replaced with a composite hybrid material made from graphene. As a result, explosions are extremely unlikely if the electrodes make contact.

Graphene battery vs lithium-ion – Charging Time 

Aside from the safety aspects and power capacity of graphene batteries, a graphene battery will charge much faster than the best lithium battery. For example, if your lithium-ion battery would achieve a full charge in one hour – a lithium battery would achieve the same charge in just 12 minutes!

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By comparison, a graphene battery would hold 7250 mAh of the charge against a 5000 mAh lithium battery of equal capacity. In most cases, the graphene battery would be much smaller but still hold more charge.

How Adding A Graphene Battery Would Increase Battery Life Of A Smartphone

Battery experts tested phones with the shortest and longest battery life to observe the impact of substituting a lithium-ion battery for a graphene battery. The results demonstrated graphene’s superior performance.

LINK TO MOBILE PHONE ARTICE

The phone with the best battery life in this test was the Motor G7 Power, and adding a graphene battery INCREASED the battery life by a staggering 6 hours and 19 minutes! That’s more than a quarter of a day more battery life!

Graphene Batteries Charge SmartPhones Much Faster

What’s even more mind-boggling is the effect of the graphene battery on the phone with the shortest battery life, which was the Sony Experia XA2 Ultra. Replacing the lithium-ion battery with a graphene battery increased the battery life to 14 hours and 26 minutes!

In terms of charging, the Huawei P30 Pro would achieve full charge in just 12 minutes. When applied to the slowest charging phone- the MOTO E5 – the graphene battery would charge the phone four hours faster than the lithium-ion equivalent.

In all the tests conducted, there is not one where graphene batteries did not comprehensively outperform their lithium-ion counterparts.

Graphene Batteries Require Less Space Than Lithium-Ion 

Graphene is incredibly thin and, when used in batteries, offers the manufacturer a power source that is efficient on multiple levels. In addition, graphene batteries can be much smaller than existing lithium-ion batteries.

This is exciting for makers like Samsung, Huawei, and Apple as they seek to reduce combustion risks in their batteries. In addition, graphene batteries provide exceptional battery life, and the size means that phone manufacturers can add more features to their phones.

With the lighter, slimmer, and more compact graphene batteries packing a serious punch, using the additional space and weight freed up by supplying graphene batteries to optimize existing features like the camera or audio capacity is tantalizing!

Graphene battery vs lithium-ion – Cost 

Where lithium-ion could have kept its dominance and preference is when it comes to cost. Graphene, when processed and refined from graphite, costs about $ 200 000 a ton, which could make the use of the material prohibitive.

But, recent developments done at Rice University and using a technique called Flash Joule Heating show that graphene can be created using trash! 

James Tour, the chemist in charge of the experiment, concluded that much of the waste we dispose of is rich in carbon. And, by exposing this waste to very high temperatures for just a brief ‘flash’ of time, all the incidental materials evaporate and leave behind collectible graphene flakes.

This process involves using garbage like one-use plastic containers, banana peels, and coffee grounds (to name a few) and heating them to 5000F for ten milliseconds! This is enough to vaporize all the lighter elements and reduce what was a pile of waste to very valuable (and cheap) graphene flakes.

Graphene Battery Vs Lithium-Ion – Rechargeable Batteries

Graphene is a carbon-based allotrope that has garnered attention for its potential applications in a variety of fields, including electronics, optics, and energy storage. In particular, the unique properties of graphene make it an attractive material for use in rechargeable batteries.

Unlike traditional batteries, which rely on a chemical reaction to store and release energy, graphene batteries utilize the intrinsic properties of carbon atoms to store and release electrical charge.

As a result, graphene batteries boast a significantly higher energy density than their chemical counterparts. In addition, graphene batteries can be recharged much faster than traditional batteries, making them ideal for use in high-performance applications.

Although challenges remain in terms of mass production and commercial viability, the unique properties of graphene make it a promising material for use in rechargeable batteries.

Graphene Battery Vs Lithium Ion – Environmental Impact 

With this new technique of producing graphene, there are huge implications for reducing mass amounts of carbon-rich waste that would otherwise leak greenhouse gases into the environment through landfills.

By taking everyday waste materials with high carbon content and converting them to graphene, the world has found a way to reduce pollution and provide a super-efficient power source that delivers efficiency on multiple levels.

One of the most significant issues with lithium-ion batteries is that they cannot be disposed of safely. Lithium-ion batteries are also not ecologically friendly and add to the pollution and contamination of landfills and rivers because many people will throw them away.

This practice also increases the risk of explosion or injury from unwanted discarded lithium-ion batteries where people hunt for recyclable or usable materials in landfills and other dump sites. Graphene batteries are inherently recyclable and pose little or no threat of combustion, making them far safer and more environmentally friendly than lithium-ion.

Round Up

Graphene batteries are superior to lithium-ion in every way. Although the technology to produce graphene cheaply in large quantities is still developing, the Flash Heating technique will be the key to unlocking graphene’s many uses in the future.

Using graphene batteries makes sense from every aspect. Most of all, it substantially reduces environmental risks while providing the power source needed to finally escape the fossil fuel dilemma that has dogged this civilization for so long.

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