Pomegranates could make your battery last 10 times longer

Longer lasting batteries are something we are crave for our smartphones and now researchers at Stanford have discovered a way to extend the life of lithium-ion batteries by using silicon to help them hold a charge. Silicon does have its problems though. During charging it swells and breaks. And we don’t want that. It also reacts to the electrolytes in the cells and ruins the circuitry. So what can we do?

How do you use silicon without it swelling? Scientists at Stanford were inspired by the clusters of pomegranate seed. To prevent swelling, silicon nanowires get covered with carbon yolks that allow for swelling on the part of the silicon. The yolks are arranged like pomegranate shells so that the electricity can flow while keeping the silicon protected. This is a brilliant idea and Stanford professor Yi Cui said that after 1000 cycles of charging and recharging, the “pomegranate-inspired anode operates at 97 percent capacity”.
97 percent is more than encouraging. If they can work out a few other issues, we could see battery life increased by amazing proportions. Hopefully they will perfect it very soon.

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