Nanotube Revelation Improves Batteries to 10,000 Charges, 20 Year Lifespan

What is it that holds you back from going wireless? If you said it is the rechargeable battery’s inability to handle multiple charges and to charge quickly, then your revolution is just around the corner. Earlier this week, scientists at Nanyang Technology University (NTU) developed a new way to use one of the smallest technologies, nanotubes, to decrease the recharge time to 2 minutes for a 70% charge as well as increase the longevity of the lithium-ion batteries. This new use for nanotubes has resulted in batteries good for 10,000 recharges and an incredible 20 year lifespan, instead of the current 500 recharges and 5 year lifespan.

Perhaps the biggest announcement to come from Associate Professor Chen Xiaodong and his research team is that this technology can be used in the current manufacturing process and could be commercially available as soon as 2016. Professor Chen Xiaodong was quickly to point out other benefits to the automotive industry by saying, “Electric cars will be able to increase their range dramatically, with just five minutes of charging, which is on par with the time needed to pump petrol for current cars”.

Professor Chen Xiaodong also noted that lithium-ion batteries are classified as a toxic product and must be disposed of in a safe manner. By increasing a batteries ability to lasting up to twenty times longer, we can greatly reduce our need to dispose of these batteries year after year. This innovation does not mean that the team is done working. They are still looking at ways to increase the power capacity so that our devices can run for a longer period of time.

Despite Professor Chen Xiaodong optimism I doubt we will see this within the time frame he has stated. Any company who is willing to adopt this technology and be on the front line of manufacturing, will want to individually assess the risk of these batteries when put under extreme use for legal and safety reasons. If there are no major issues, I suspect we will be seeing this tech before the decade is out. I know I’m ready to cut the wire, how about you?