Stanford Researchers Develop a Fire-Proof Battery That Charges in One Minute

[Reefa]

An aluminum-ion battery has been developed by scientists at Stanford University that can achieve a full charge in down to a minute, and offers a safer, more efficient alternative to the standard lithium-ion battery in laptops and cell phones.

Aluminum, cherished for its inexpensiveness, incombustability, and capacity to store large amounts of energy, has been studied extensively over the years as a potential material for batteries. Roadblocks occured due to difficulty finding materials that produce sufficient voltage after numerous charges and discharges.

This search is over now, as Stanford researchers have “accidentally discovered” that by using liquid electrolytes with a graphite-based cathode (the positively charged part of a battery) and an aluminum anode (the negatively charged part of a battery), a battery could be made that has “unprecedented charging times” and can be recharged 7,500 times without any capacity loss. Compared with a lithium-ion battery which can take hours to charge and only lasts 1,000 cycles, the difference is dramatic.

Additionally, lithium-ion batteries pose a fire risk, acknowledged, for example, by United and Delta Airlines which ban bulk lithium-ion battery shipments from passenger planes, Stanford graduate student Ming Gong pointed out. The aluminum-ion battery, on the other hand, will not even catch fire when drilled through, due to the electrolyte being liquid at room temperature.

The applications of these aluminum-ion batteries are far reaching: they will increase the efficiency and safety of common electronic devices, and, due to their high capacity, could be utilized to store renewable energy on the electrical grid. They could also serve as a replacement for disposable alkaline batteries, which are notoriously bad for the environment.

Further research is needed to increase the voltage output of the aluminum-ion batteries, which presently is “about only half the voltage of a typical lithium-ion battery,” according to Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford. Voltage aside, these batteries’ low cost, safety, and high-speed charging have researchers hopeful for the final product.

http://air.exile.is/stanford-researchers-develop-a-fire-proof-battery-that-charges-in-one-minute/261

[dcs18]

An aluminum-ion battery has been developed by scientists at Stanford University that can achieve a full charge in down to a minute, and offers a safer, more efficient alternative to the standard lithium-ion battery in laptops and cell phones.

As a pro. photographer - look forward to using such batteries.

[Arizin]

Agree with dcs18, it looks like a poor battery life in a smartphone will be a thing of the past.

[CODYQX4]

Agree with dcs18, it looks like a poor battery life in a smartphone will be a thing of the past.

I'd say a huge portion of up and coming tech is completely dependent on better batteries, and the current batteries are 90's era tech that have hardly improved in capacity.

If we're going to have Smartwatches, 16 core phones, and electric cars, and continue on from there, the current battery tech needs to be made to look like stone age tech.

[Reefa]

An aluminum-ion battery has been developed by scientists at Stanford University that can achieve a full charge in down to a minute, and offers a safer, more efficient alternative to the standard lithium-ion battery in laptops and cell phones.

As a pro. photographer - look forward to using such batteries.

@dcs18Nice could you push me in the way of some of your flavour.. :rolleyes:

[Fallon]

The fact that the discovery was accidental, shows the importance of basic research again. Seek and you shall find (something else, paysan).
The biggest benefit may come when it will help to store renewable energy on the grid, as is briefly mentioned in the article.
The wind doesn't always blow, and if this can help out, more complicated solutions will never see the light of day.

They will love this new battery for the Boeing Dreamliner, which has had huge problems with its batteries.
For camera owners it will just mean another opportunity to start allover again.

Add to that possible better image formats, like BPG, and Oled technology for camera's: An introduction to OLED :)

[Reefa]

Yeah as i said to @dcs18..