Devices that chemically store energy. Batteries convert chemical energy into electrical energy through the use of two electrodes, the cathode (positive terminal) and anode (negative terminal), and an electrolyte, which permits the transfer of ions between the two electrodes.
What is a semiconductor? An electrical engineer explains how these critical electronic components work and how they are made Thin, round slices of silicon crystals, called wafers, are the starting point for most semiconductor chips.
Mixing the constituent ingredients is the first step in battery manufacture. After granulation, the mixture is then pressed or compacted into preforms—hollow cylinders. The principle involved in compaction is simple: a steel punch descends into a cavity and compacts the mixture.
The following is a simplified description of how a battery works. Two important parts of any cell are the anode and the cathode. The cathode is a metal that is combined, naturally or in the laboratory, with oxygen—the combination is called an oxide. Iron oxide (rust), although too fragile to use in a battery, is perhaps the most familiar oxide.
Semiconductors are the foundation of modern computing, devices such as smartphones and laptops rely on them. They are also in routers, switches, and communication infrastructures that form the backbone of the internet, enabling global connectivity. When it comes to sustainability, semiconductors also play a vital role.
Lithium-ion batteries’ graphite anodes, by contrast, have largely stayed the same. Silicon has long held out promise as a medium for anodes, because it can hold 10 times as many lithium ions by weight as graphite. In fact, silicon’s first documented use as a lithium battery anode even predates that of graphite— by seven years.