One common request for each year’s iPhone refresh is revolutionary new battery performance and a team from the University of Texas has developed a new battery technology that could one day change the game. The new battery technology claims to be safer, more powerful, and quicker to charge…
As noted by PCWorld, the team is led by John Goodenough, the 94-year-old who is responsible for the creation of the original lithium-ion battery. The new battery is being called an “all-solid-state” lithium-ion battery cell and is incombustible, meaning it won’t see in Note 7-like disasters.
Building on the enhanced safety, the new technology uses a new glass electrolyte solution that eliminates the “metal whiskers” that bridge the gaps between positive and negative plates when a battery is charged too quickly. These metal whiskers are often responsible for fires and explosions caused by battery shorts.
The new all-solid-state battery technology also promises to charge much faster than existing solutions, while also claiming to offer up to three times the capacity of typical lithium-ion batteries. This means that a solid-state-battery could be the same size as typical lithium-ion batteries, but offer three times the power.
At this point, it’s hard to tell when this new battery technology could make its way to future devices. However, this it won’t be limited to smartphones, but rather can be applied to electric cars, power banks, and much more.
The researchers claim that the cells can be charged and then run down more than 1,200 cycles with low cell resistance. The cells will operate at temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit, they said.
It very much seems that this new all-solid-state battery technology solves many of the problems associated with modern-day lithium-ion solutions. It’s more powerful, safer, and the same size or even smaller.
Currently, The University of Texas Office of Technology Commercialization is negotiating license agreements with other companies in the battery industry.
