The current battery technology certainly can be improved. In mobile devices, if not the display or the camera technology, upgrading the battery used will be a big leap for a phone or tablet. A new silicon battery technology was recently developed by a group of researchers from the University of Waterloo. Professor Zhongwei Chen from the Department of Chemical Engineering led a group of grad student to discover ways on how to increase the standard of batteries being used in different industries.
This new technology is believed to be a great jump from the standard. It’s also very “green” as it’s “environmentally safe”. We might see a 40 to 60% increase in energy density. That means batteries can last longer than before on a full single charge. Batteries used in smartphones and smartwatches will be more powerful than ever because someday, they will last longer than usual. For use in electric vehicles, this new battery technology will be lightweight, enabling the car to run up 310 miles per charge according to the Waterloo researchers.
The low-cost battery made using silicon was done by using silicon anode materials instead of graphite anodes. This swap resulted to a greater capacity for lithium, allowing batteries that have ten time more energy. “But as batteries improve, graphite is slowly becoming a performance bottleneck because of the limited amount of energy that it can store,” noted Professor Chen.
This is just one of the many efforts of scientists, companies, and researchers to improve the battery technology. A few months ago, we mentioned that solid-state electrolytes could improve battery technology. Samsung has been working on new battery technology with double capacity too. Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology has greatly improved charging times. Other researchers even created a li-ion battery that can be recharged by sunlight.
More new things and improvements will be developed in the coming months and years. Maybe someday, it would only take a few seconds to charge a battery that’s very sleek and thin in form. Who knows someday, there’s no need to charge at all because super efficient batteries are coupled by fast charging that you won’t have to wait.
VIA: SlashGear
SOURCE: University of Waterloo
