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Ten-fold increase in battery life could be possible with new electrode technology

Ten-fold increase in battery life could be possible with new electrode technology

Posted: 15 Nov 2011, 04:41, by Nick T.

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Ten-fold increase in battery life could be possible with new electrode technology

While the displays, processors, and all the bells and whistles our mobile devices come with have been getting noticeably better and better over time, the batteries that power our gadgets do not seem to be treated with the same attention. However, here comes a team of researchers from Northwestern University that breaks that rule and focuses on delivering a battery with performance we can only dream of at this time.

The folks have developed a lithium-ion electrode that should enable traditional li-ion batteries, the same type that the great majority of contemporary cell phones use, to have ten times as much capacity as they do today. Furthermore, a battery that uses the special electrode would still be five times as efficient even after 150 charging cycles, which is about a year of regular use.

So, where does the magic lies? In a nutshell, the electrodes of a modern lithium-ion battery are made out of graphene sheets. Silicon used for the same purpose may superior to graphene, yet its expanding and contracting during the charging process renders it practically useless. The guys came up with the idea of constructing a battery electrode composed of both silicon and graphene sheets in order to minimize the silicon's unwanted behavior. Besides, holes with diameter between 10 and 20 nanometers were drilled through the sheets of graphene, which allegedly can speed up the battery's charging time up to ten times.

Of course, do not expect finding this technology under your smartphone's back cover anytime soon as it has yet to be perfected. Besides, it is still not clear whether it will be cost-effective enough to be marketed. On the other hand, it is surely nice knowing that researchers are working hard on pushing the boundaries of batteries even further, and we sure hope that the battery life of a heavily-used smartphone will soon be measured in days, not hours.

source: Northwestern University via PCMag

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1. Cyd07 posted on 15 Nov 2011, 06:16 3 0

That will be the next great innovation in smartphones. We have processing power (dual and quad-core) ; we have HD Amoled screens ; we have thinness ; what we have not is battery life.

Imagine your iPhone 4s ; Galaxy Nexus ; Bold 9900 or Lumia 800 lasting one week. Very cool.

3. DIYguy posted on 15 Nov 2011, 06:56 1 0

What is rare is style, comfort, security, durability and age sustainability...

Some of these are based on my opinions so you might totally disagree. What do you people think?

22. dirtydirty00 posted on 15 Nov 2011, 12:00 5 0

what do u meen lasting a week? imagine them lasting a day!

2. Gemmol posted on 15 Nov 2011, 06:19 1 0

Put this in LG Nitro HD for AT&T and I pay you the price as if I bought two of them with a promise of Ice Cream update

4. ILikeBubbles posted on 15 Nov 2011, 07:04 3 0

lol not to knock the dream but i'll believe it when i see it. . . there have been so many technologies taht sound potentially game changing but never got through,. anyone remember racetrack memory? ok how about Bubble memory?

exactly.

although this is what we've been waiting for since smartphones really took off... well... if it's too good to be true; burn it at the stake.

20. GoodFella posted on 15 Nov 2011, 11:22 2 0

I absolutely agree. Over the many years I have been in the cell phone industry, I have read about many battery technologies that COULD be the big next breakthrough for increased battery life. None have ever panned out as of yet.

So, I will agree and say I will believe it when I see it.

5. jackhammeR posted on 15 Nov 2011, 07:20 3 0

stop talking about it only do it! I've been hearing about his new everlasting super duper cells for a long time.
We got dual/quad cores, 720p screens, 12 mpx camera unit, LTE but we STILL HAVE CRAPPY BATTERY which are not enough even for one day in most cases!!!!!!

6. rendHELL posted on 15 Nov 2011, 07:45 0 0

if they can invient something like this why dont they put in cars? i bet i can use this new type of battery in my AIRSOFT gun

19. Ivan6479 posted on 15 Nov 2011, 11:22 1 2

Well first off the batteries used in cars last a lot longer than your average Li-ion battery does, but it would be a pain carrying around something like that on a daily basis.

Secondly if and when this technology gets perfected I'm sure you will be able to use it in many diff types of applications, such as your precious AIRSOFT gun, but I'm sure that will be quite some time from now and you may grow out of playing with toys by then. Lol

7. Booya posted on 15 Nov 2011, 07:56 0 1

Just do it already!!!! Boo Ya!

8. iKingTrust posted on 15 Nov 2011, 08:08 2 5

Now with this Apple can start adding 4G without battery sacrifice

9. Droid_X_Doug posted on 15 Nov 2011, 08:08 1 1

Battery energy density affects all manner of applications, from cell phones to electric cars. The first one to crack this nut with a cost-effective solution will hit the jackpot like never before. The Northwestern U. team may be knocking on the door....

10. sgogeta4 posted on 15 Nov 2011, 08:33 4 0

There have been announcements like this for the past decade, yet all of them have never seen light... Don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but do you know how much money companies will lose if batteries lasted for a week instead of a day? Just some food for thought.

14. McLTE posted on 15 Nov 2011, 09:48 1 0

Sad, but true.

Look at the Oil industry.. there are all kinds of conspiracy theories about how oil companies have bought up electric patents and paid inventors to keep quiet.. to keep oil mainstream as long as possible.

I really don't see the same thing happening with battery technology however.. as a new technology will cause an explosion in tech sales. I think right now the current battery tech is holding back innovation.. a battery that lasts 10x longer... I imagine companies will open the floodgates with products that can tap into the extra power.. until we're back at these NEW batteries lasting only 1 day!

I think a new battery technology is just a win win for consumers and companies alike.

18. rendHELL posted on 15 Nov 2011, 11:11 0 0

True because in the philippines... i watch on the news that a Filipino invented water powered car... using the water as a fuel.... then he was gone after that...

16. rizky_p posted on 15 Nov 2011, 10:16 0 0

I heard this kind of news many times over. Now even latest devices still using old lithium battery. Just bring it on will ya.

11. iamcc posted on 15 Nov 2011, 08:35 3 0

If the RAZR has this new extremely thin battery technology why can't they just cram two together to make it double the battery life but a "normal" sized battery. I would take a RAZR the size of a Bionic with double the battery life...

Just sayin'...