Without major improvements in recent years, Li-ion batteries are barely keeping up with high-end smartphones, limitations on the energy consumption becoming a real obstacle in the way of growth performance and a constant source of dissatisfaction for users. But according to the claims of a South Korean group of researchers, the problem could be solved soon with the help of an alternative technology which has been tested in the past and showed encouraging results.
If previous Fuel Cell releases were making use of volatile substances such as methanol, were bulky and required strict compliance requirements for ventilation and cooling, the latest Fuel Cell device created by the researchers at Pohang University of Science And Technology from South Korea, uses substances in solid form and is greatly minimized.
Easily adapted for various forms of housing, a fuel cell uses an electrode and electrolyte in the form of porous foils made of stainless steel, making it easy to produce chemical reactions with minimal residual heat and wear on the battery.
According to a team of researchers, a drone fitted with a Fuel Cell battery instead of Lithium-Ion flies more than an hour, uninterrupted, and the smartphone to be recharged only once a week.
Unlike Lithium-Ion batteries, the ones based on Fuel Cell technology requires no connection for several hours from an external AC adapter or portable battery. Instead, the charging is done in just a few seconds, using a reserve containing the substance used for the catalyst to produce electricity.