Almost every current add for a new phone emphasizes how much
longer its battery life can last. Battery life seems to be an important topic
in today’s society due to all of the advancements in technology that we have. Recently,
I had been thinking about buying one of those portable things that can charge a
phone without needing an outlet but it seems like the researchers at the
University of California – Riverside have a better idea, mushrooms.
At first I thought what I was reading was fictitious, how can
a mushroom help generate battery life? Portobello mushrooms are edible
mushrooms that are commonly found in Europe and North America. They are white
or brown and are usually found in backyards or really anywhere; I’m sure you
have seen them at least once (maybe even stepped on one accidently).
Well, these common mushrooms have caps with porous skins which
are the main components of this experiment. The skin is heated to produce porous,
carbon nanoribbons which contain naturally occurring carbon and pores that provide
space and surface area. The pores are crucial because they allow for the
transfer and storage of energy as well as other fluids (which are needed for
lithium-ion batteries to function efficiently). The carbon is also important
because it doesn’t need to be prepared, like graphite, from chemicals that harm
the environment. Furthermore, the mushroom contains potassium salt which is
needed to activate “blind pores” that charge the battery when it begins to
discharge. In other words, as the battery begins to lose charge, these pores
are activated causing it to gain energy and be charged again.
The researchers believe the use of Potobello mushrooms to
increase battery life can be applied to other technology besides cell phones. Their
next goal is to try and incorporate this into electrical cars because according
to the article, electrical cars produce a lot of harmful chemicals and hazardous
waste that harm the environment.
Personally, I am still a little skeptical but if this can
help the environment and is cheaper then why not? Maybe this is something the
military or even our instruments in the laboratory can use. What do you think?
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First of all, I would have never thought of using mushrooms as a source of energy, so I found this post very interesting. I know baterry life varies from one device to another, but did they mention anything about how much of a charge one could receive from one mushroom?
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ReplyDeleteI wonder if this would work for other types of mushrooms also. Pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteMushrooms that are drugs, mushrooms that are food, and now mushrooms used for battery power. What will they come up with next?
ReplyDeleteI think I would get some pretty strange looks if I had my phone plugged into a mushroom. Could I eat it after I was done charging? Yum!
ReplyDeletedoes this mean that science fairs are going to have phones plugged into mushrooms instead of potatoes plugged into light bulbs?
ReplyDeleteBecca: As much as I hate to say it, that was really my first thought. I was about to see if I could get a kit on Amazon. I'm kind of curious about how much mushroom is required to produce how much current. If portabellas provide a pound for pound replacement for graphite (and that's the only benefit), according to the SD article, the savings in materials and energy amounts to that required to process 900,000 tons in the next five years.
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