Researchers have figured out how to build powerful charge-holding devices without poisonous materials by adjusting film thinness, reported North Carolina State University in an article shared by Tech Xplore.
Today’s capacitors depend on lead and other harmful elements that endanger both workers and nature. The new approach uses sodium-based compounds that are safer but have been difficult to work with in electronics, according to the report.
Scientists at North Carolina State University learned they could manipulate sodium niobate layers by adjusting their depth. The measurement determines how much physical pressure affects the material, which alters its inner crystalline arrangement.
“Specifically, we’ve found that controlling the physical strain on a material has a profound effect on the distribution of phase boundaries within that material,” explained Ruijuan Xu, an assistant materials science and engineering professor at North Carolina State University.
These transition zones, where different crystalline patterns meet inside the material, affect its ability to hold electricity. By creating thinner or thicker layers, researchers can fine-tune these zones without chemical processes that typically need toxic ingredients.
The team built their layers using laser-based production methods, achieving precise depth control. Tests identified a link between layer depth and the mix of two crystalline patterns in the material. Thinner layers contained more of one pattern, while thicker ones had more of the other.
Most importantly, these safe materials matched or beat current toxic options.
“We found that we could engineer the NaNbO3 thin films so that their dielectric permittivity — or how much charge they can store — is comparable to, or better than, the dielectric permittivity of the best lead-based thin films. This is extremely promising for engineering new capacitor technologies,” Xu said in the university’s report.
Capacitors exist in almost every electronic gadget, from phones to electric vehicles. They hold and discharge electricity quickly, making today’s electronics work. Swapping toxic parts for safe ones could eventually lead to changes in production and disposal methods across the industry.
The material is also adjustable, allowing engineers to modify its response to electric fields. This feature is significant for wireless devices and mobile phones.
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The research group included partners from Cornell University, University of Arkansas, Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Stanford University, Drexel University, and Penn State University. Their results appeared in Nature Communications.
The method applies to more than just sodium niobate. Their approach could apply to a whole group of safe materials called KNN (potassium sodium niobate), which would create paths to several poison-free options.
Although the research was still a “proof-of-concept” study, for consumers, it could eventually mean that tomorrow’s electronics could perform equally well but with safer production and disposal. Neighborhoods near electronics plants would encounter fewer health dangers, and recycling facilities could handle old gadgets without toxic substances.
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