Scientists at Stanford University in California have revealed what they call a “breakthrough in battery technology” that may lead to the ability to manufacture safer and longer lasting batteries for everyday devices, laptops and mobile phones. Batteries based on the new technology may also mean a smartphone can be fully charged in just one minute.

Commercial batteries in use today are lithium ion based, whereas the new battery created by the researchers is an aluminum ion battery.

Apart from faster charging times, aluminum-based batteries offer several other benefits over their lithium precursors. According to the researchers, their prototype battery is safer to use than alkaline models such as AA and AAA batteries as it is less likely to overheat and catch fire and it is also more environmentally friendly.

In a report in the journal Nature publishing their findings, Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford University stated that they had made a “breakthrough in battery technology” and have gone further than prior efforts to develop an aluminum-based battery.

“We have developed a rechargeable aluminum battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames. Our new battery won’t catch fire, even if you drill through it.”

The prototype aluminum-battery generates around two volts of electricity, higher than the 1.5-volt AA and AAA batteries available and higher than previous attempts.

Another benefit over traditional batteries, claimed the researchers, is that aluminum batteries are more durable. The prototype aluminum battery can withstand around 7,500 charge-discharge cycles compared to the 1,000 cycles possible with lithium-ion batteries. Previous aluminum battery prototypes only endure 100 cycles, they said.

“This was the first time an ultra-fast aluminum-ion battery was constructed with stability over thousands of cycles,” the authors wrote.

According to the researchers, aluminum-based batteries are so efficient that they could be used to store renewable energy on an electrical grid.

“Another feature of the aluminum battery is flexibility. You can bend it and fold it, so it has the potential for use in flexible electronic devices,” said report co-author Ming Gong.

Watch the short video below to see the prototype battery in action, even when bent or being drilled through:

photo credit: Critical Battery Icon old laptop via photopin (license)