One of the places that smartphone and tablet technology is rapidly evolving is in the batteries we use to power the devices. A larger battery is a nice thing, but batteries can only be so large before the portability of the device they are in is affected.
One way that scientists are working to improve battery technology is in how fast a battery can charge. If the battery can charge fast enough, it doesn't have to be large to give smartphones longer runtime. A scientist from Nanyang Technological University has created a new high-tech battery that is capable of recharging to 70% capacity in only two minutes.
This battery tech could be a huge breakthrough not only for mobile devices, but also for other products such as electric vehicles. These next generation lithium-ion batteries are expected to survive 10,000 charging cycles, making them about 20 times more durable than current generation batteries.
Scientists at the university replaced traditional graphite used for the anode of a battery with a new gel material using titanium dioxide, a cheap and abundant material found in soil. The team developed a method to turn the normally spherical titanium dioxide particles into nanotubes that are able to speed up chemical reactions in a new battery, allowing for faster charging. There is no word on when this new battery tech might be commercialized.
SOURCE: Science Daily