The researchers believe the quick-charging batteries could open up new applications, including better batteries for electric cars.
And because they use older materials in a new way, the batteries could be available for sale in two to three years, a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported on Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Awww yeah. Lithium batteries that can recharge as quick as filling up a tank of gas? Game over, oil. Imagine having a car that makes virtually no noise. Imagine being able to live by a freeway and not hearing the constant rumble of explosions powering a ton plus of metal down the road. And this is a unique leveraging of existing technologies, so, like they say, they could be to market damned near tomorrow. (Though three years is forever in tech terms.)
This should be great for solar power and wind power harvesting, too, so batteries can be charged as fast as capacitors, but hold the charge longer and after the input shuts down. As always, some design limitations to overcome, but a very, very promising development.