Lithium Batteries Get New Lease on LifeLithium Batteries Get New Lease on Life

Researchers from Stanford University have found a way to boost the staying power of laptop batteries from four hours to 40 hours--a tenfold improvement courtesy of a new type of silicon nanowire electrode.The breakthrough has to do with the way lithium is stored in the nanowire. According to ZDNet, the new nanowires inflate to four times their normal size as they soak up lithium, but unlike previous silicon anodes, they do not fracture.

"We are working on scaling up and evaluating the cost of our technology," said Yi Cui, one of the battery?s new developers and an assistant professor at Stanford University. "There are no roadblocks for either of these."

For SMBs that rely on myriad mobile equipment, such as laptops and smartphones, a longer-lasting battery will cut down on the prospect of losing power in the middle of a project or presentation. It could also decrease the need for flying with extra lithium batteries in light of a new federal safety law that restricts how many backups passengers can bring on-board.ZDNet