Imagine being able to fully recharge your phone’s battery in just one minute. Stanford University researchers have been working on such a invention. Not only does this “high-performance” aluminum battery recharge faster, it also lasts longer and is less expensive. Sounds like a perfect battery for all smartphone users. And unlike lithium-ion batteries, which have been known to explode under certain circumstances, Stanford’s battery will not start a fire even if you drill a hole through the center of it.
Stanford University Professor Hongjie Dai has been working on the aluminum-ion battery along with some of his colleagues. The battery is made up of two electrodes. One is a positively charged cathode while the other is a negatively charged anode made of aluminum. This cell combines an aluminum anode and graphite cathode, along with an ionic liquid electrolyte, inside a flexible polymer-coated pouch.
