"Current batteries for low-power devices, such as smartphones or sensors, typically use chemicals such as lithium to store charge, whereas a quantum battery uses microscopic particles like arrays of atoms," explains Yuanbo Chen, a physics graduate student at the University of Tokyo.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) represent the state of the art in high-density energy storage. To further advance LIB technology, a fundamental understanding of the underlying chemical processes is required.
"While chemical batteries are governed by classical laws of physics, microscopic particles are quantum in nature, so we have a chance to explore ways of using them that bend or even break our intuitive notions of what takes place at small scales," Chen says.
It means many companies are looking for alternative materials from which to build batteries. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) collaborated with Microsoft to do just that. Using Microsoft's Azure Quantum Elements tool, researchers screened potential new materials that can be used in low-lithium batteries.
Safety is also a concern. Although lithium-ion batteries are generally safe, when overheated or damaged, they risk a “thermal runaway”—a chain reaction causing the device to rapidly and uncontrollably heat up and combust.
It is also expected that demand for lithium-ion batteries will increase up to tenfold by 2030, according to the US Department for Energy, so manufacturers are constantly building battery plants to keep up. Lithium mining can be controversial as it can take several years to develop and has a considerable impact on the environment.