YOUR SMARTPHONE BATTERY might not increase how long a single charge can last for, but how many times it can be recharged could change soon.
Researchers have developed a battery that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times before it needs to be replaced.
Lithium-ion batteries usually withstand 5,000 to 6,000 charges before they die, giving electronics a lifespan of a few years before they need to be replaced.
Yet the University of California, Irvine created a new battery that was able to withstand 200,000 charges over three months without any decline in performance. That means if you charged it four times a day, it would be able to last more than 130 years.
The secret is based on nanowires being used in batteries. Thousands of times thinner than a human hair, they are used in most smartphone batteries, but can break easily. However, by coating the nanowires in both a shell and gel, they become more flexible and are harder to break.
The researchers say that the breakthrough could lead to commercial batteries with greatly lengthened lifespans for electronics like laptops, smartphones and cars.
Many smartphones stick to lithium-ion batteries as they can be recharged repeatedly. However, their inefficiency and the rapid pace of hardware advancements means you’ll only get a day’s worth of charge from them.
Some companies like Samsung, Google, and HTC have introduced both battery saving modes and fast charging methods as a way of countering this.
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