If Stanford University researchers are on the right track, the holy grail of portable energy may be right around the corner in the form of modified lithium-ion batteries. Assistant Professor Yi Cui believes that integrating silicon nanowires into existing li-ion designs could extend the battery life of packs by a factor of 10.
While the basic mechanics of what the battery does would remain the same, substituting a forest-like sponge of silicon nanowires instead of graphite as the battery’s anode material could result in a massive increase in storage capacity. According to Cnet, silicon nanowires can hold many more lithium ions (and therefore many more times the charge) than graphite.
