A new era of high-tech, super powerful and reliable batteries is closer than you think, as scientists at Stanford University in California have made a significant breakthrough.
In an official press release, the university announced that it has developed what it describes as the first “high performance aluminium battery that is fast-charging, long-lasting and inexpensive”.
No doubt the reference to fast-charging has caught your attention. According to scientists involved in the ground-breaking project, the prototype they have created can charge a smartphone in just one minute.
“We have developed a rechargeable aluminium battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames,” explained Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford.
For some time now, the metal aluminium has been considered for use in batteries. It certainly has a lot of attributes, like it’s low-flammability, the fact that it is markedly cheaper than other materials and possesses “high-charge storage capacity”.
However, it has been rather difficult making this a reality and for many years, experts have failed to produce a reliable “aluminium-ion battery”. Until now that is.
“Our battery produces about half the voltage of a typical lithium battery,” professor Dai went on to say.
“But improving the cathode material could eventually increase the voltage and energy density. Otherwise, our battery has everything else you’d dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility and long cycle life. I see this as a new battery in its early days. It’s quite exciting.”