Did Scientists Stumble on a Battery that Lasts Forever?
Imagine a battery that could be recharged for decades. No more getting rid of cell phones because of waning battery life. No more landfills filled with lithium ion batteries.
This is one step closer to reality, thanks to work by researchers from the University of California at Irvine.
The discovery that could lead to ultra-long-life batteries happened by serendipity. A team of researchers led by Reginald Penner, chair of the university’s chemistry department, had been studying nanowires, tiny conductive wires that show great promise for use in batteries. The problem is nanowires are fragile and generally begin to fray and crack after a certain number of charging cycles.
