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When a laptop or smartphone battery starts
losing its power, the only options are to buy an expensive replacement, or just
keep it plugged in all the time. But a woman Mya Le Thai may have found the
answer to this problem.
Thai was frustrated that the
batteries for her wireless devices degraded(降级)over time, until they failed to
charge fully. She did not like having to keep her laptop connected to an
electrical outlet to keep it powered on. So, she decided to do something about
that problem. At first, she and her team at UC Irvine thought about inventing a
new battery. But as they experimented, Thai discovered something that might
permit lithium—ion(锂离子)batteries
to last forever.
Lithium-ion batteries power
most wireless devices. Over time, the batteries lose the ability to hold a
charge. Most of these batteries have a life span of about 7,000 charging cycles
before they die. One of the reasons lithium—ion batteries degrade is their use
of nanowires to carry electricity. Nanowires are extremely thin. A human hair
is thousands of times thicker, for example. Nanowires are extremely efficient
carriers of electricity, which makes them useful in batteries.
But, Thai had a theory—the
nanowires might last longer if covered with a gel(凝胶).
She and her team tested this theory. "It was a long process and a lot of
work, "Thai said. The team tried many coverings for the wires. PMMA, a
type of plastic, was one of them. The nanowires were coated with PMMA and
cycled through charges 200, 000 times. The PMMA-coated nanowires showed no
evidence of damage. The results suggest that batteries could last forever,
without losing charging ability.
Thai hopes to continue her
research to understand why this gel works so well and to see if any other gel
could create better results and she is enjoying the publicity about her
discovery. She said she never expected her research to get media coverage.
"It's kind of cool," she said. "I'm really glad people are
showing interest in my work and not just in the work itself, but also in
technology and energy."
(1)
Why did Mya Le Thai work on lithium-ion batteries?
A . She disliked the batteries for her laptop.
B . Her team were assigned to invent a new battery.
C . Many people thought batteries were too expensive.
D . The batteries would soon lose the function to charge fully.
(2)
What can we infer about nanowires?
A . They last only 7,000 charging cycles.
B . They are too weak to carry electricity.
C . They are not suitable to use in batteries.
D . Their thinness is a cause of batteries degrade.
(3)
What might be Thai and her team's breakthrough?
A . Coating nanowires in gel.
B . A new kind of battery.
C . New materials for batteries.
D . A new way of charging batteries.
(4)
What may be the best title for the passage?
A . The options of batteries for wireless devices
B . A woman invents a life—long battery.
C . Mya Le Thai discovered Nanowires
D . The reasons for batteries degrading
答案: D
D
A
B