An Indian spark in US university's new super-battery

Is your mobile phone in the habit of dying just when you need to make an urgent call? And does your laptop do the same when you need it the most?

Don't fret, because the future holds some hope for you.

An Indian researcher with the Washington State University (WSU) has developed a technology that can triple the capacity of lithium ion batteries. As they will be able to last three times as long, you will be able to take your gadgets that much farther without having to hunt for charging points.

Uttara Sahaym and Dr Grant Norton of the WSU, along with a team of students, have devised the battery in which tin — when used as the anode — has the capability to increase the storage capacity by three times, compared to ones that use carbon for the purpose. The new tin anode can store almost three times the energy.

'At present, we are testing the batteries at the laboratory level. Taking a product from the laboratory level to the industry level takes a lot of effort and resources. We are hoping to attract the attention of manufacturers and investors across the world, so this can be taken
to the next level,' Sahaym told HT.

The researchers have filed patents for the technology. 'Currently, the anode represents 14% of the total cost of the Liion battery. The new tin anode, because of its simple one-step processing method and low-cost materials, will be cheaper than existing ones,' she said.