One of the problems we face with our smartphones is that there isn’t enough battery power to keep them going for an extended time on a single charge. And the fact of the matter is, our smartphones are now draining battery life faster than ever (see how to check your iPhone usage here). However, an accident just helped a group of researchers figure out how to dramatically extend lithium-ion battery life.
In fact, iDownloadBlog stated that these advances could allow for an all-week Apple Watch battery life while significantly extending run time between charges when using your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or MacBook.
The accidental discovery happened when researchers Dr. Wang Changan of Tsinghua University and Dr. Li Ju of MIT left a batch of aluminum electrodes soaking in a sulfuric acid and titanium oxysuplphate mix for too long. They were originally hoping for titanium oxide. But after extraction, the researchers were surprised to find that they had essentially created a winning combination: a 4nm outer shell of titanium hydroxide and an inner 30nm “yolk” of aluminum.
This final product outperformed previous Li-ion batteries by about four times during the 500 test cycles they ran. That’s because on older Li-ion batteries, we have relied upon graphite anodes to help extend our battery life. Unfortunately, these battery types decline slowly over time as the graphite anodes within the battery expand and compose with every charge. Eventually they decompose and eventually become useless. However, these newfound “accidental anodes” do not expand and contract like the graphite anodes, thus leading to longer battery life. Furthermore, according to MIT, these anodes can hold up to three-times the energy of traditional Li-ion batteries.
And the great part? It seems as though these “accidental anodes” can be scaled up and produced for mass-market consumption. To boot, aluminum is also a cost-effective option. It was once considered an option for batteries, but the idea was discarded due to the mechanical stress on the aluminum anodes.
Due to these advances, we might start seeing a lot of happy smartphone users that won’t have to depend so heavily upon charging cords and outlets to stay connected. Pair this withApple’s solar charging cells, and you might have a device that hardly needs to be charged.
What effect do you think long lasting batteries will have on our society as a whole? How is this technology beneficial to you? What are some other technical advances you’d like to see in the future? Let us know in the comments below!