PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015
A Technion energy innovation – the Silicon air battery – is set to dramatically improve life for the hearing-impaired.
By Georgina Johnson
Hadas Hauz is a teacher of elementary school. She is so responsive and connected to her environment, you would never guess that behind her auburn curls are hearing aids in both ears. “I would even choose to wear them at night,” she smiles, “…in case one of the children is in trouble and needs to reach me.” There is organization involved, however. The hearing aid batteries last around of 7-10 days and are sensitive to moisture and the environment. This means changing the batteries at least once a week, otherwise the world will fall silent.
Hadas Hauz is a teacher of elementary school. She is so responsive and connected to her environment, you would never guess that behind her auburn curls are hearing aids in both ears. “I would even choose to wear them at night,” she smiles, “…in case one of the children is in trouble and needs to reach me.” There is organization involved, however. The hearing aid batteries last around of 7-10 days and are sensitive to moisture and the environment. This means changing the batteries at least once a week, otherwise the world will fall silent.
The good news for Hadas is that Technion research into silicon air batteries that promise thousands of hours of life is now entering the stage of commercialization with industry. An active member of The Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP) Prof. Yair Ein Eli of the Materials Engineering Department says the batteries will last at least four-six times longer, and are not sensitive to the environment, such as high/low humidity or heat. “We are looking at batteries that could last as long as a few months before they need changing,” says Ein Eli, “…and the dream is to also make them rechargeable.”
Longer-lasting hearing aid batteries will drastically improve the quality of life of many. But this is just the first stage of a new concept in energy storage spurred by the research of Prof. Ein Eli and his international team. He sees silicon air batteries as the inevitable replacement for the lithium batteries today used in cellphones and laptops and now in a new generation of electric vehicles.
“The race is on as to the kind of battery we will see in the future: metal air, lithium or silicon air,” says Ein Eli. “I believe silicon offers advantages in terms of the environment, cost and safety. Lithium, for example, is highly explosive and sensitive to the environment.”
Noting that Lithium is a finite resource, with nearly half of the world’s lithium supply coming from Bolivia, Ein Eli is ahead of present and future need – coming up with an environmentally-sound silicon option. A recent study by Meridian International Research concluded that “realistically achievable lithium carbonate production will be sufficient for only a small fraction of future electric vehicle global market requirements”, and that “mass production of lithium carbonate is not environmentally sound.”
As such, The GTEP is giving Prof. Ein Eli and his expanding lab of students full support in doing the science to achieve the target of rechargeable green silicon batteries for a sustainable future. In the meantime, we soon hope to see a dramatic increase in life quality to millions of hearing-aid users such as Hadas Hauz, thanks to the silicon air battery innovation.
Israeli primary school teacher Hadas Hauz: “The sooner the better!”
GTEP Prof. Yair Ein Eli.