Scientists Say They've Invented A Smartphone Battery That Charges In One Minute

Scientists Say They've Invented A Smartphone Battery That Charges In One Minute

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. scientists said they have invented a cheap, long-lasting and flexible battery made of aluminum for use in smartphones that can be charged in as little as one minute.

The researchers, who detailed their discovery in the journal Nature, said the new aluminum-ion battery has the potential to replace lithium-ion batteries, used in millions of laptops and mobile phones.

Besides recharging much faster, the new aluminum battery is safer than existing lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames, they added.

Researchers have long tried but failed to develop a battery made of aluminum, a lightweight and relatively inexpensive metal that has high charging capacity.

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 aluminum, Stanford said in a statement.

In a prototype, aluminum was used to make the negatively-charged anode while graphite provided material for the positively charged cathode.

A prototype aluminum battery recharged in one minute, the scientists said.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

They should certainly be a hell of a lot cheaper than lithium-based batteries.

Yay cheaper batteries for my Xbox control!!😁 now that I got that out of the way this could be a very positive thing.

Unfortunately, it only keeps it's charge for 2 minutes.

JK. It doesn't appear to state the length of charge though.

A little more detail given on this article.

www.bbc.com...

I bet some spoiled 21st century teens will complain that a minute is too long. Then again, a self-charging solar (and by solar I mean any light source) battery will someday replace this minute-miracle, and people will remember when they were kids and actually had to recharge their phones.

a reply to: Telos

Well now, that makes digital paper very real all of a sudden, the applications are manifold.

Just great , cellphonitis is about to go pandemic

It also was able to last over 7,500 cycles. Impressice. While this is a great development, I'm a little dubious about the claims that it's a "smart phone battery", that can be fully charged in one minute. Nowhere in the article does it mention the capacity of the prototype battery, and that seems an awful lot like something the media would extrapolate (without basis) in order to lure readers in with the headline...

a reply to: Answer

something that is more efficient and cheaper?! im sure this is the last we'll hear of it then...


to many times "scientists discover" blank awesome new technology that ought to replace whatever current tech and it never does.... it has to be more profitable, thats the missing variable for success here, if it is more profitable then itll replace current standards in no time flat,

do these batteries loose their ability to hold a charge in time? do they need replacing every once in a while? if not then they wont be the new standard, lots of money made off those two faults in our current battery production methods.

originally posted by: Aleister
I bet some spoiled 21st century teens will complain that a minute is too long. Then again, a self-charging solar (and by solar I mean any light source) battery will someday replace this minute-miracle, and people will remember when they were kids and actually had to recharge their phones.

In all fairness, if all you know is what you have experienced, is it really being spoiled? I have no comprehension of what it must have been like during WW2 under rations, yet I whine like a child when my Internet drops out lol

I agree that solar is the way to go. I think we're going to see developments in reducing the power consumed, combined with increase of the power generated, with new wireless delivery methods over shorter areas. Once we have a highly efficient and easily installed system of gathering that energy, delivering it to devices will follow through wireless tech.

I predict that one day ten minutes of exposure to even indirect sunlight will provide enough energy to power a small device for a day. The real interesting thing is how this will be gathered and delivered. One of the best theoretical developments I've seen on the subject was by a Norwegian some time ago who suggested the use of nano tech to create billions of microscopic "solar panels" in a paint-on system, where the surface of an entire building could be painted, with a single collection point at ground level leading to a shoe-box sized battery. Basically you could turn any surface into a solar panel just by painting it.

originally posted by: pryingopen3rdeye
a reply to: Answer

something that is more efficient and cheaper?! im sure this is the last we'll hear of it then...


to many times "scientists discover" blank awesome new technology that ought to replace whatever current tech and it never does.... it has to be more profitable, thats the missing variable for success here, if it is more profitable then itll replace current standards in no time flat,

do these batteries loose their ability to hold a charge in time? do they need replacing every once in a while? if not then they wont be the new standard, lots of money made off those two faults in our current battery production methods.

Yep. It's not financially advantageous to offer a new battery that is cheaper and doesn't need replacing.

However, if the manufacturers can reduce the costs involved in the manufacture of a device, they'll jump all over that and just build the device like an iPhone with no way to remove the battery. When the battery finally dies, the phone will have to be replaced... according to the manufacturer.

This is a big deal. I will file this in there with Apollo Diamonds and Gemesis as technologies and companies to keep an eye out. I have been on those two diamond companies for nearly a decade now. Seems DeBeers and the establishment has them in check for the time being.

Diamond wafers for microchips and processors. Where is Intel on that??

This battery needs a commercial application within two years to affect aluminum prices. I would like to see a viable product for sale sometime in the next five.

You can pay ten percent of the price for a more perfect diamond than is unethically acquired through current illicit practices by the likes of DeBeers. I just want to see a battery for the Samsug Note 6 or galaxy 10 under $50.00 in the first run. I dont think that is unreasonable expectation for five years.

a reply to: gottaknow

Let us go straight to the source, the original publication in the journal Nature. We even get the names of the entire team. should we call and/or email some of them for additional information, maybe commercial/investment applications??

a reply to: DYepes

They're at Stanford. All the top VC companies have offices within bicycle distance---almost certainly they've already started commercial activities and probably thought about the plan 4-5 years ago.

a reply to: mbkennel

well then damnit they better have something for me to buy in five years or I am going to be pissed. Since aluminum demand sill for sure skyrocket, Australia will be poised to reap profits. I am dead certain they are in the top 3 sources of Bauxite ore in the world. What a shame too, it means all the fight for Afghanistan's Lithium was all in vein, go figure.

originally posted by: pryingopen3rdeye
a reply to: Answer

something that is more efficient and cheaper?! im sure this is the last we'll hear of it then...


to many times "scientists discover" blank awesome new technology that ought to replace whatever current tech and it never does....

That is absolutely correct my friend. I've seen at least half a dozen quick charging battery stories pop up on ATS over the last few years and none of them have appeared in the real world yet (or I just haven't looked hard enough). There was graphene battery developed by scientists in 2012 which was particularly interesting, called the super super capacitor. The ability to do this sort of stuff has existed for quite a while now, people just don't realize it because it always gets swept under the rug.

a reply to: DYepes

Nah, total mass of aluminium being used in these would be insignificant compared to current use in construction, automotive, aircraft, beverages.

Note also that there isn't any discussion about automotive battery use for these new batteries, most likely because they have worse mass density per joule or per volume than lithium.

If there would be a big new demand, I'd imagine for stationary load leveling storage for solar power. Somewhere where robustness and longevity would matter more than weight.

Scientists - when will they invent something like alcohol or class A drugs which aren't bad for you?

Having just given up on the booze I'm dying for a drink, to get a bit pissed...stick your Aliminium battery with its 1 minute charge.

Unless, could this battery power some kind of dialysis machine that could help my liver whilst still delivering the high?

a reply to: Telos

Scientists Say They've Invented A Smartphone Battery That Charges In One Minute - When are they going to invent a phone battery that lasts for 12 months before having to be recharged.

Charging in 1 minute? ....... I think that's a distraction from stopping us thinking about the question I ask above.