Cheaper, Longer-Lasting Batteries On The Way

One of the biggest drawbacks to mobile products these days is their all too short battery life. Thankfully the US Department of Energy have made some progress in this area.

At the Argonne National Laboratory they have developed a better way to build lithium-ion batteries that will not only make them last longer, but possibly make them cheaper. They are using a two-component composite structure that helps to stabilize the battery.

The new process allowed them to achieve storage capacities of 250mAh/g, effectively doubling the capacity of batteries currently used today. The composite structure is based on a manganese-rich substance which is cheaper to manufacture than current cobalt and nickel batteries. No word on how soon we will see these new batteries in laptops and cell phones

Scientists double the capacity of rechargeable lithium batteries [via tgdaily]