A University of Florida research team is developing nano-batteries that could enable smaller, smarter, feature-packed mobile devices, as well as truly tiny power sources for "microelectromechanical" devices (aka MEMS):
"In the first year of a five-year collaborative effort with three other institutions funded by a $5 million grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the research is showing progress toward its goal of creating a three- dimensional, millimeter-sized battery – considerably smaller than the centimeter-sized hearing aid batteries that are the smallest batteries on the market today.
The new technology could improve cell phones and other portable electronics, which use lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are made of composites of small particles. Their ability to produce power depends on lithium ions diffusing throughout these particles. While microscopic, the particles are large enough to be measured in microns, or millionths of a meter. The nano-battery approach seeks to replace these particles with particles measured in billionths of a meter, which would enhance power storage and production because the lithium ions would have less distance to travel as they diffuse."
Image: synthetic membranes containing a parallel collection of nanotubes, with inside diameters of molecular dimension greater than 1 nanometer. Photo (c) Department of Chemistry, U of FL.
