A team led by the original creator of the lithium-ion battery has developed a new, safer battery that can deliver three times more power and charge in a matter of minutes. The battery is non-combustible and could be incorporated into upcoming smartphones and other devices.
A team from the University of Texas, led by John Goodenough, has developed an “all-solid-state” lithium-ion battery that has a long lifespan and faster charging rates.
"Cost, safety, energy density, charge and discharge rates, and cycle life are critical for the battery to be widely adopted. We believe that the discovery of one solves many of the problems inherent in today's batteries," Goodenough said.
The new battery uses glass electrolyte instead of a liquid solution typically used in lithium-ion batteries. The new phone is noncombustible, meaning it won't suddenly overheat and catch fire like some devices in use today.
The glass is made of lithium, sodium or potassium and increases the energy density of the battery up to 1200 cycles per cell with little impact on life. The batteries still work well down to -20 degrees Celsius. The development process has also been simplified with the new technology and the batteries are made with environmentally friendly materials.
The University of Texas has already begun negotiating licensing agreements with several companies in the battery industry. The new batteries are suitable for a number of devices and could potentially be used in upcoming iPhones.
The entire smartphone industry could benefit from the new cell battery technology as it would mean that phones could be charged significantly faster and there would be no safety risk for consumers. Smartphone batteries would no longer overheat and there would be less chance of a smartphone being recalled like the Galaxy Note 7.Regarding the new technology: it may not see widespread adoption in the coming years, considering that it is still under development.
