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[zomgbbqftw]

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n4/full/ncomms2747.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22191650

"A new type of battery has been developed that, its creators say, could revolutionise the way we power consumer electronics and vehicles.

The University of Illinois team says its use of 3D-electrodes allows it to build "microbatteries" that are many times smaller than commercially available options, or the same size and many times more powerful.

It adds they can be recharged 1,000 times faster than competing tech."

"Repeatable technique

The battery cells were fabricated by adapting a process developed by another team at the university which is designed to make it faster to recharge the batteries than lithium ion (Li-on) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) equivalents.

It involves creating a lattice made out of tiny polystyrene spheres and then filling the space in and around the structure with metal.

The spheres are then dissolved to leave a 3D-metal scaffold onto which a nickel-tin alloy is added to form the anode, and a mineral called manganese oxyhydroxide to form the cathode.

Finally the glass surface onto which the apparatus was attached was immersed into a liquid heated to 300C (572F).

"Today we're making small numbers of these things in a boutique fabrication process, but while that's reliable and we can repeat it we need to be able to make large numbers of these things over large areas," said Prof King.

"But in principle our technology is scalable all the way up to electronics and vehicles.

"You could replace your car battery with one of our batteries and it would be 10 times smaller, or 10 times more powerful. With that in mind you could jumpstart a car with the battery in your cell phone.""


Who says funding for science is useless...

 

[Piecake]

wow, thats huge, especially for electric cars

 

[NekoFever]

A breakthrough in battery technology is badly needed. It's got to be the main limiting factor in the design and capabilities of most portable technology at the moment.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Do they come in AA size?

 

[Log4Girlz]

Shame its so potentially dangerous. Hope they are successful changing the electrolyte.

 

[Jarmel]

Well hopefully along with the graphite stuff, we can see one of these options in consumer electronics in the next five years.

 

[Woody Invincible]

This will aid tremendously in our path to singularity.

 

[mernst23]

A breakthrough in battery technology is badly needed. It's got to be the main limiting factor in the design and capabilities of most portable technology at the moment.

Also could have a huge impact to wind and solar industries depending on cost to implement.

 

[plainr_]

This needs to be in my iphone like right now.

 

[AstroNut325]

Elon... You better be on this tech breakthrough.

 

[Orbis]

Shame its so potentially dangerous. Hope they are successful changing the electrolyte.

Yeah I don't think anything that's more dangerous than the already dangerous lithium ion batteries would be ideal. But this sounds really promising. Battery tech progress has been woefully slow and very limiting to portable electronics and electric cars. On the massive plus side, the power efficiency of chips has been pushed very hard to improve and the results have been very impressive. Just look at what a smartphone or tablet can do. But there are limits to that, and they are really showing.

 

[Always-honest]

WOAW!!.. good news for the next WiiU controller.

 

[Man]

Give them all the money.

 

[Kenka]

Really exciting. I want this battery in my 600bhp sports car (that I don't own yet).

WOAW!!.. good news for the next WiiU controller.

a honest 8/10.

 

[TheRagnCajun]

Sweet. Then my cell phone could last for 10 days in stead of 1 =/

 

[Log4Girlz]

Sweet. Then my cell phone could last for 10 days in stead of 1 =/

Hahahaha, no. You'll have more and more powerful cell phones lasting for the day.

 

[Kinitari]

I read about this, and while it's cool - I don't know if it's particularly game changing yet. It's biggest asset is its charge and discharge rate - which is very awesome. But if I remember correctly there is suspicion that it might not last very many charge cycles, and it's yet to be seen if this tech can be scaled up.

Regardless, at the very least the new structure they used is very intriguing and I suspect it will garner more attention. And hopefully it lasts many cycles and scales up just fine!

Sweet. Then my cell phone could last for 10 days in stead of 1 =/

I don't think it has a better charge density, is the issue - just a better charge and discharge rate. But I could be wrong, I'm double check.

 

[Shake Appeal]

This will aid tremendously in our path to not being wiped out by climate change.

Fixed.

 

[tnaden]

We hear about a "battery revolution" every few months, yet nothing has changed in years.
I'll wait until it hits the market.

 

[VariantX]

Seems nice if possible, but It's hard for me to get my hopes up since we've had about 5 or 10 other breakthroughs that for some reason or another, never make it to market.

 

[vio]

This does not make oil companies happy.

 

[Oppo]

Keep that shit away from Boston Dynamics. Do you hear? AWAY.

This does not make oil companies happy.

Eh. Need to make the electricity somehow, I doubt they're too worried about this.

I wonder what the Tesla people would make of it...

 

[shira]

Wohooo charging my 3DS in 1s.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Seems nice if possible, but It's hard for me to get my hopes up since we've had about 5 or 10 other breakthroughs that for some reason or another, never make it to market.

The difference between those and this one is that this is marketable and has a proven manufacturing process that can be scaled up while the others were theoretical or made with unscalable manufacturing processes (i.e. in the lab not suitable for mass production).

 

[Cmerrill]

Only a matter of time before the patent is bought buy an oil company or car manufactorer and never heard of again.

 

[Leezard]

Interesting construction of the battery. I welcome any progress in battery technology.

 

[Kinitari]

The difference between those and this one is that this is marketable and has a proven manufacturing process that can be scaled up while the others were theoretical or made with unscalable manufacturing processes (i.e. in the lab not suitable for mass production).

This one does not have a proven manufacturing process that can be scaled up - it can theoretically be scaled up:

"Today we're making small numbers of these things in a boutique fabrication process, but while that's reliable and we can repeat it we need to be able to make large numbers of these things over large areas," said Prof King.

"But in principle our technology is scalable all the way up to electronics and vehicles.

The difference between this tech and other battery tech that has come out in the last year in the news is not much in the respect to manufacturing. This is theoretically scaleable, which is I guess more than some.

Regardless, some of the tech of the last couple of years that people assume is vaporware is still in the process of being worked on - sometimes it takes longer than a few months/year to go from the lap to your pocket .

 

[RumblingRosco]

UIUC engineering shows the world once again how fucking bad ass we are... now, let me actually read the paper.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

Availability: 2033

 

[wenis]

And what are the chances we see any if this as a consumer on a large scale?

Reason i ask is we've had these threads before, but nothing comes from them. Not even updates.

 

[Kinitari]

Availability: 2033

I think the engineers behind it are as hopeful as 'end of this year' - which might be too hopeful, but they'd know better than me.

And what are the chances we see any if this as a consumer on a large scale?

Reason i ask is we've had these threads before, but nothing comes from them. Not even updates.

Who knows to be honest - a lot of this stuff works great in the lab, but doesn't scale or if it does, isn't cost viable. The speculation is that this, when scaled, won't have as amazing of performance - it's size is part of the reason why it charges/discharges so quickly. They might go the Tesla motors route (they have a grid of small batteries instead of one large battery), but who knows.

Regardless, don't count out a lot of the battery tech you've heard about in the last 2 years - it's a process getting it from the lab to the phone, sometimes it takes years.

edit: and for the power density/energy density

but remember, that's at 'button' size. Scaled larger, and you'll most likely see a decrease in power density performance.