Building better batteries

摘要

It is not yet clear whether the next generation of batteries could be successfully integrated into an energy market that is currently linked to global warming. Fame and fortune certainly await anyone who can come up with a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Furthermore, it is difficult to see how the performance gap between the internal-combustion engine and lithium-ion batteries will be filled using only new battery technology; other approaches, such as fuel cells, will be needed, but here a complete overhaul of present systems will probably be required.