Testing

So yesterday we learned about the inner workings of lithium - ion battery cell and anodes and cathodes. Fascinating stuff. Really. And today we did more readings. The end. Just kidding. We did get to view some stuff. Although as we sat in the pantry hunched over our laptops, it felt as if WE were the ones being viewed by an endless stream of passing researchers. So we finally got a chance to see the research rooms - though we didn’t get to touch anything. One of the in charges stared as if we were about to blow up the nitrogen tanks in the room. (No, I wanted to say, we don’t have bombs. Nor do we have any intention of swiping your gigantic machinery. We will wait until the fourth day.) The machinery were by far the most interesting ones I have ever seen, and we treaded gingerly around them like a group of pre schoolers around a fire lighter. Bad ass, hulking and complicated - I mourned internally as I looked on at them. The bunsen burners back at our labs seem very wanting right now. Among the ones that stuck out the most was the argon-filled glow box - where they prepared the lithium for battery cell. It was also the most recognisable piece, with its rubber gloves and squashed finger sockets that jutted out like a series of handles. Amidst these high tech equipment we spied a lone xbox controller sitting on a table. Turns out it was hooked up to an equipment as the joystick provided better controls than a regular mouse. The procedure for making the battery seemed relatively simple to write out - you piece together bits like a lego set. But the repetitiveness and endless patience required of the task indicated the amount of dedication required to actually successfully execute a research. Also, to anyone who complains about the data collection during practical sessions, I welcome you to make sense of the numbers on this screen (insert photo). So the general procedure for making lithium ion batteries is first obtaining the necessary components - the graphite coated with copper, polymer separator (to prevent short circuit), and the stainless steel covers to hold everything in. We put the materials in a vacuum (thingy) to rid of any moisture they might retain. Cue three hours of waiting time. While the materials are still hot when taken out, we immediately place them in the glovebox to prevent the retention of any moisture from the surroundings. This is followed a series of filling and emptying the container with Argon to ensure that it contained ONLY Argon. We watched as the rubber gloves deflated and our mentor stuffed his hands into them to complete the lithium battery. The graphite, separator and lithium are sandwiched between the covers and filled with an electrolyte before being slammed shut. And that’s it. A battery is created. The research doesn’t just stop here of course. What happens next is testing, evaluating, more testing and more evaluation until the results are published online.