Flexible Surfactants Boost Flow Battery Power

Rigid chemistry is actually killing the potential of next-gen batteries. Researchers are

mixing oil and water to create microemulsions for flow batteries, which is basically the holy grail of

safe, high-power energy storage. But the secret ingredient is the soap holding

it all together. They compared a straight, organized surfactant molecule against

a messy, branched one. You would assume the organized one conducts electricity

better, but you would be wrong. The straight molecules packed so tightly

that the liquid interface became too stiff to function. The messy soap kept the walls flexible,

allowing the structure to rearrange and conduct power. It turns out the future of energy