Scientists Have Found The Solution To All Your Battery Issues

Scientists have invented a new solution that could fuel various energy applications, from personal electronics to grid storage. The researchers have detailed their findings in the journal Nature. A team lead by chemistry professor Hongjie Dai at Stanford University in California made a breakthrough by accidentally discovering that graphite made a good partner to aluminium, Stanford said in a statement. The new technology uses aluminium battery which lasts for more than 7500 cycles which is the best performance ever for a Aluminium based battery. The prototype consists of a soft pouch, containing aluminium for one electrode and a graphite foam for the other – all surrounded by a special liquid salt.

The scientists were able to recharge the battery in less than a minute which is unheard for Lithium-ion batteries. The aluminum battery is very safe and durable compared to lithium-ion batteries, but currently only delivers about half the voltage. Also, the battery are very flexible and can withstand large amounts of pressure. The batteries are much safer than the current batteries as they do not catch fire even after withstanding huge amount of punishments. Dr. Dai further added that the battery would not catch fire even if a hole is drilled through it.
The only real factor holding back the aluminium based batteries is the voltage output. Currently, the best aluminium batteries deliver only half the output as compared to standard Lithium batteries. Such low voltage output makes it unfit for use in smartphones and laptops. Another problem is the large scale commercialization of the prototype. The process of squeezing ions in between the graphite sheets can cause the material to expand and contract which can lead to scaling problems.