EPCHEM137 Foundation Concepts for Chemistry and Life Sciences.

Task Description:

The 2019 Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino for the development of lithium-ion batteries. As energy storage becomes more vital in our world, it is important to examine the role that lithium-ion batteries may play into the future.

Using the library catalogue and resources access information from a range of quality sources including journal articles, books, and websites to answer the following points.

1. There are many variations of lithium-ion batteries with different properties suited to particular applications. Describe the main components of a battery and identify the specific components for one particular type of lithium-ion battery. Describe the chemical reactions which take place during discharge and charge specifying the direction of movement of the chemical components and providing the relevant chemical equations.
2. Identify and describe three (3) examples of current uses for lithium-ion batteries and explain why these batteries are particularly suitable for each of the three (3) applications.
3. Propose two (2) emerging areas of potential use for lithium-ion batteries and explain what the challenges may be to their implementation.