“Scientists have found a way of using alternative metals in lithium-based batteries that might not only help relieve the issues associated with conflict materials, but also offer more storage capacity in future devices,” Lee Bell reports for V3.
“The research team, led by professors at the University of California, Berkeley, managed to build lithium cathodes with 50 per cent more storage capacity than conventional materials – potentially enabling batteries to be made that can last considerably longer between recharges than current battery technology,” Bell reports. “This could change how we use technology in the future as these batteries are used in phones, laptops, tablets and even some cars.”
“‘We’ve opened up a new chemical space for battery technology,’ said the University’s professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and senior author of the report, Gerbrand Ceder,” Bell reports. “‘To deal with the resource issue of cobalt, you have to do away from this layeredness in cathodes,’ Ceder added. ‘Disordering cathodes has allowed us to play with a lot more of the periodic table.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As with every new battery breakthrough, hope that it makes it to market springs eternal.
SEE ALSO:
New lithium-air battery survives hundreds of cycles – March 22, 2018
Graphene balls reduce a one hour battery recharge to 12 minutes – November 29, 2017
Researchers make a graphene superconductor – January 20, 2017
New supercapacitor battery tech lasts for days, charges in seconds – November 22, 2016
Battery that will power your phone for ‘twice as long’ coming next year – August 17, 2016
This battery breakthrough could change the world – July 12, 2016
Forgetful scientists’ breakthrough could deliver week-long Apple Watch battery life – August 18, 2015
The mobile battery that charges in a minute – April 7, 2015
Lithium anode breakthrough could double or triple battery life – July 28, 2014
Apple: We are working on new materials, new areas – June 18, 2014
Apple, Google, Samsung vie for graphene patents – May 15, 2014
Graphene: The totally amazing wonder material that could revolutionize technology – May 13, 2014
“potentially enabling batteries to be made that can last considerably longer ”
There are a good dozen news articles on advances in battery technology over the last year.
Actually “getting to better batteries” takes a lot of time to refine and then prove out in extensive lab and real world tests so consumers don’t wind up with ‘sparklers.’
I will bet we are 3-5 years away from getting any significant improvement (like 50%) in storage/charging rate capacity.
Time to move on to things I can do today.
There was also advancements last year and year before that and year before that. So no worries.
Available in 2030.
NASA TV today is pointing out the requirement of higher capacity and lighter batteries for the creation of electricity-based jet planes currently being designed.
I could not be more happy that after a long, long period of battery tech stagnation, not only is the public yelling for the industry to move it’s bloody arse, but there are several new an promising electricity storage systems moving out of R&D into real life. About bloody time.
Personally, I’m greatly enjoying my Kentli AAA and AA rechargeable Lithium batteries I have to buy from China. Why the frack aren’t they THE rechargeable battery tech in the USA? Could it be the archaic battery tech lobby? No doubt.
[Yes, there are a few actually innovative (vs ripoff) companies in China, whom I champion.]
This article is about scientific (rather than technological) progress in electrochemical batteries. The group talking to the media are very active and at the coal-face, so to speak. I liked this article title: “Disorder, Frustration, and Correlation in Polyborane Solid Electrolytes from First-principles Computations”. Frustration and batteries seem to go together