IBM and Daimler claim quantum leap in lithium-sulfur battery breakthrough
Electric vehicles may be the wave of the future, but each
machine is only as good as its battery. A breakthrough in quantum computing
from a Daimler-IBM collaboration may change the way we think about the power of
lithium. Researchers are one step closer to creating cheaper, more powerful,
longer lasting batteries accessible to a broad market.
Modeling molecules isn’t just for biotech anymore – a recent study from Cornell
University shows how simulating potential dipole moments in lithium-sulfur
batteries could unlock the door for next-generation design. Through the magic
of qubits and an IBM Q Valencia, a variational quantum eigensolver (VQE)
algorithm uses classical and quantum components to simulate elements of a Li-S
battery.
With these models, researchers hope to expand their current
knowledge of lithium batteries by accelerating simulations to predict and
explain molecules’ properties and behaviors. Hyper-efficient batteries may not
hit the market tomorrow, but with the help of quantum computing, researchers
are laying the groundwork for a breakthrough in EV battery technology.
Source: IBM
