Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology researchers have discovered a way to double the the capacity of lithium ion batteries. The lithium-ion battery technology promises a much longer-lasting battery power.
The team has used a new “silicon cathode material” for coating the graphene of the battery’s silicon surface. Layers of graphene atop may help in improving the density and longevity of the battery. The coating material supports the new amount of energy level up to twice as compared to current batteries.
The researchers made an experiment using batteries that were 1.5 to 1.8 times denser compared to current batteries. The result showed that the battery could last up to 21 hours compared to standard 12 hours of smartphone battery life these days, Engadget reported.
They claimed that the new technology lets the cell, when paired up with a commercial lithium cobalt oxide cathode, receive a full volumetric energy densities of 972 and 700 Wh l−1 at first try and 200th cycle respectively. Commercial lithium designs normally reduce the lifespan of battery because of more charge and discharge cycles, but with the help of multi-layer designs of graphene, it will have a good cycling performance.
The South Korean electronic company said that this is still under a research project, and it would take time to materialize it and be useful to real world commercialization. Current lithium batteries were developed to extend the capacity rather than increase the life and density because of the limitation of the material itself, according to The Bell Jar.
Samsung is positive that the technique will have an important impact of both mobile devices and electric car industry, bringing more needed additional battery life.