Quick Summary
A new battery breakthrough at the University of Surrey could mean batteries offer nine times more power in a charge.
This could mean car ranges go up and smartphones last for years before those batteries weaken with age.
Just the other day we wrote about a world first quantum battery and now a new discovery hails a battery that could offer nine times more power than current offerings.
This could be huge, potentially offering an EV battery which allows cars to go for over 1,000 miles, rather than a few hundred at best. But, crucially, it also means grater longevity for these car batteries. Plus, that could mean smartphones that last far longer before the battery gives out.
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How do these batteries work?
Current lithium-ion batteries are limited by anodes made of graphite, which is limited in energy storage; and silicon, which has greater capacity but expands and cracks over time.
The solution? The scientists over at the ATI came up with a combination of the two materials called a “Vertically Integrated Silicon–Carbon Nanotube” (VISiCNT) structure. Essentially this scaffolds the two materials for the best of both worlds.
(Image credit: Thomas Demarczyk / Getty Images)
In testing, the new battery tech could store 3,500 milliampere-hours per gram. That’s a huge jump when compared with current battery efforts that top out at just 350 milliampere-hours per gram.
Crucially, the carbon nanotubes are grown into copper – which is currently used in commercial batteries. That should mean this can easily be adopted and scaled into the manufacturing process. That could mean we see this improvement sooner than you might expect.
(Image credit: Future)
Dr Muhammad Ahmad, working on the project, says: “Our VISiCNT design offers a practical route to harness silicon’s huge storage capability without sacrificing cycle life.”
This technology could be a key discovery in helping move the country to Net Zero by offering faster charging, longer lasting, more resilient batteries at scale.
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