三星開發(fā)出石墨烯電池

Samsung Electronics has developed core battery technology using graphene to make lithium-ion batteries last longer and charge more quickly, a potential industry milestone if mass produced.

三星電子(Samsung Electronics)開發(fā)出核心電池技術，利用石墨烯延長鋰離子電池續(xù)航時間，并加快充電速度。如果這種技術能投入量產(chǎn)，那將標志著一個行業(yè)里程碑。

The South Korean conglomerate said on Monday that its research arm — Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) — has successfully synthesised “graphene balls” that can boost its battery capacity by 45 per cent and increase charging speed by five times the existing standards.

這家韓國綜合企業(yè)集團周一表示，其研究機構三星先進技術研究院(SAIT)成功合成了“石墨烯球”，可將電池容量提高45%，而充電速度提高至現(xiàn)有標準的五倍。

Graphene has been touted in the global electronics industry as a “miracle material” given its strength, electrical conductivity and elasticity, and has been seen as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries since its discovery in 2004. It is a form of carbon that can be used to develop smaller, slimmer batteries but with higher capacity.

石墨烯的強度、導電性和彈性，使其在全球電子行業(yè)被譽為“奇跡材料”，而且自2004年被發(fā)現(xiàn)以來一直被視為鋰離子電池的替代品。它是一種碳的形態(tài)，可被用來開發(fā)更小更薄、但容量更大的電池。

Samsung said the graphene-based battery would take just 12 minutes to be fully charged; current lithium-ion batteries take about an hour. The new battery could also be used for electric vehicles, as it can maintain stability at up to 60 degrees Celsius.

三星表示，這種石墨烯電池只需要12分鐘即可充滿電;而現(xiàn)有的鋰離子電池充電需要一個小時左右。新型電池也可用于電動汽車，它能夠在最高60攝氏度以下的溫度范圍內保持穩(wěn)定。

The company has stepped up its research into battery technology in the wake of last year’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphone safety debacle. The recall and subsequent withdrawal of the fire-prone model cost the company more than $5bn, and some of the phones caught fire due to faulty lithium-ion batteries, according to Samsung.

在去年遭遇Galaxy Note 7智能手機(見文首照片)自燃的安全災難后，三星加強了對電池技術的研究。據(jù)三星透露，召回以及隨后撤銷這款容易起火的手機使該公司損失50多億美元，而其中一些手機正是由于鋰離子電池有問題而起火的。

SAIT has developed a way to use silica to synthesise graphene like three-dimensional popcorn, and use the graphene “balls” as material for advanced lithium-ion batteries, the company said. Samsung has applied for patents for the technology in South Korea and the US.

該公司宣布，三星先進技術研究院開發(fā)出一種方法，用硅石來合成像三維爆玉米花一樣的石墨烯，然后將這些石墨烯“球”用作先進鋰離子電池的材料。三星已經(jīng)在韓國和美國申請了這項技術的專利。

According to experts, graphene is more energy efficient so it allows room for other cathode materials. As a result, smartphones with graphene-based batteries can be slimmer and lighter but with a greater capacity.

據(jù)專家介紹，石墨烯具有更高能效，因此可為其他陰極材料提供空間。其結果是，采用石墨烯電池的智能手機可以做得更輕薄、但電池容量更大。

Graphene, which in its basic form is a single sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a lattice, can be used in flexible displays, wearables and other next-generation electronic devices. But while lithium-ion battery technology — first commercialised in 1991 — is seen to be reaching its limitations, experts caution it will be years before graphene-based battery technology is ready for commercialisation.

石墨烯的基本形態(tài)是呈晶格的單層碳原子片，這種材料可用于柔性顯示器、可穿戴設備和其他下一代電子設備。但是，盡管在1991年首次商業(yè)化的鋰離子電池技術被視為正在觸及物理極限，但專家們告誡稱，石墨烯電池技術實現(xiàn)商業(yè)化仍是多年以后的事情。

“It is a great technology with various potential applications but it will take a long time for graphene-based batteries to be mass produced,” said Kim Young-woo at SK Securities. “The key is who can commercialise the technology first. It won’t be easy to apply the minute processing technology for large-scale production of high-quality, electronics-grade graphene.”

“這是一項潛在用途廣泛的了不起的技術，但石墨烯電池需要很久才能投入量產(chǎn)，”SK證券(SK Securities)的金永佑(Kim Young-woo)表示。“關鍵是誰能搶先把這種技術商業(yè)化。應用精細加工技術大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)高質量的電子級石墨烯并不容易。”

Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, director at research company IDTechEx, said that Samsung had produced some interesting results but cautioned that the world is a long way from commercially developing such batteries.

研究公司IDTechEx的董事Khasha Ghaffarzadeh表示，三星取得了一些有意思的成果，但他告誡稱，世界距離商業(yè)開發(fā)這樣的電池還有很長的路要走。

“The technology readiness level is still at the proof-of-concept to demonstrator stage. We often read about remarkable graphene-based results at these stages but only a few translate into commercial success stories,” he said.

“這種電池的技術就緒水平仍處于概念驗證到示范階段。我們在這些階段經(jīng)常讀到基于石墨烯的卓越成果，但是其中只有少數(shù)能夠轉換為商業(yè)成功案例，”他說。

SAIT has been leading Samsung’s core technology development and opened a lab for artificial intelligence research in Canada earlier this year. It also developed Samsung’s new TV technology using cadmium-free quantum dot materials.

三星先進技術研究院一直領導著三星的核心技術開發(fā)，今年早些時候還在加拿大開設了一個人工智能研究實驗室。該院還開發(fā)了采用無鎘量子點材料的三星新電視技術。

Additional reporting by Nic Fildes in London

尼克•法爾茲(Nic Fildes)倫敦補充報道