Scientists create battery that charges via light

Indian scientists have built a battery that can recharge itself using light. For this, the battery, although it has a small storage capacity, needs thirty seconds. For now, it is a prototype.

The researchers have published a paper on their findings in the journal The Journal of Physical Chemistry, Physorg reports. The battery they propose has a titanium nitride anode that is light-sensitive. The cathode is built of hexacyanoferrate and the whole is surrounded by a liquid. Experiments show that the light-sensitive anode ensures that the battery can charge itself with light. This makes it similar to a solar cell, but the difference is that a conventional solar cell can generate energy, but cannot simply store it.

According to the creators, the battery has a capacity of 77.8 mAh per gram when light is shone on it. Sunlight is not necessarily required for this: artificial light also ensures that energy is stored in the battery. The tests show that under normal room lighting, charging takes only 30 seconds. It should be noted that the built battery is still too small to be able to store a lot of energy. However, it turned out that it could control an LED and last more than 100 charging cycles.

It is still a prototype, which cannot be immediately used in new products. Because it is still an early version, it is not yet possible to say whether and when such batteries will be used commercially.