We've all been in the predicament of running out of battery and scrambling to find a charger. From closing background apps to lowering the screen brightness, we try everything to keep our phones on for a little while longer. Yet, our devices barely manage to stay charged for a full 24 hours.
But all of that may soon be a thing of the past. A team of Norwegian researchers has found a way to improve battery capacity by 300-500% with the help of silicon.
Battery manufacturers and researchers have been trying to use silicon for nearly 20 years as a battery enhancer, mixing small amounts of it with graphite.
Generally, smartphones have lithium-ion batteries, which have a low energy density. In simple terms, they can only store a small amount of power. Lithium-ion batteries also heat up very quickly. Sometimes they explode as well.
According to NRK (via BI), the new technology takes advantage of the fact that silicon has a much higher energy efficiency than the graphite used in conventional batteries.
Currently, the main hurdle facing battery makers is the volume of silicon, which fluctuates around 400% as lithium ions move in and out of the battery's charge. As a result, the battery swells and begins to deteriorate rapidly.
But Norwegian researchers started with a different strategy, using nanotechnology. They successfully created the best ratio of silicon-graphite mixture while taking advantage of the results of silicon batteries.
The new silicon hybrid batteries are not limited to smartphones, but will also be used in laptops, electric cars, or any other device that has a rechargeable battery.
Kjeller Innovation has already begun working to commercialize the technology, calling the project “Silicon X.” The company will soon begin testing the newly developed battery in industrial processes.
