Did you know that snails have teeth? You did? Well, good for you. We didn't and we hope you won't chew our ears of over it. Now get this, some slimey sea snail's teeth could help improve hybrid and electric car batteries.
How's that possible? Researchers from the University of California are still… researching this, but they might have stumbled upon something revolutionary for the green car business.
Apparently, the gumboot chiton, which is a large sea snail, survives by scraping algae from rocks using its magnetite teeth "conveyor belt". As the old ones wear out, new teeth keep on growing instead, and scientists have figured out that in the process they produce nanocrystals at lower temperatures.
In short, the snail may have provided a solution for developing faster-charging lithium-ion batteries, more efficient solar cells, as well as other materials for the automotive and aircraft industry.
"Incredibly, all of this occurs at room temperature and under environmentally benign conditions," assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering David Kisailus said, according to Science Daily. "This makes it appealing to utilize similar strategies to make nanomaterials in a cost-effective manner."
Engineering nanocrystals at room temperature could help significantly reduce the cost of producing nanomaterials for faster charging lithium-ion batteries.
Apparently, the gumboot chiton, which is a large sea snail, survives by scraping algae from rocks using its magnetite teeth "conveyor belt". As the old ones wear out, new teeth keep on growing instead, and scientists have figured out that in the process they produce nanocrystals at lower temperatures.
In short, the snail may have provided a solution for developing faster-charging lithium-ion batteries, more efficient solar cells, as well as other materials for the automotive and aircraft industry.
"Incredibly, all of this occurs at room temperature and under environmentally benign conditions," assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering David Kisailus said, according to Science Daily. "This makes it appealing to utilize similar strategies to make nanomaterials in a cost-effective manner."
Engineering nanocrystals at room temperature could help significantly reduce the cost of producing nanomaterials for faster charging lithium-ion batteries.
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