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Nanotubes Extend Battery Life

Posted by michael on from the keeps-going-and-going dept.

nickynicky9doors writes: "University of North Carolina researchers have demonstrated they can extend battery life by replacing the usual graphite electrode in a common rechargeable battery with a nanotube. The TRN News article speaks to an increase in the amount of charge a battery can hold and so to an increase it's lifespan. Rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms, nanotubes ...'have twice the storage capacity [of] the graphite electrode...'. The timeline for production is put at 2 years."

3 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Will these be expensive? by JanneM · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Not quite true. Even if they cost a lot more than ordinary batteries, there are a lot of applications where the benefits of extended life is just so great it's worth it. Just consider all the laptop-toting executive types out there in the world; they're likely to pay through the nose if it means the difference between being able to work during the whole flight or not.

    What I'm trying to say is that there isn't a linear correlation between battery life and price.

    /Janne

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  2. Re:Lifespan, recyclability, pollution by logophage · · Score: 2, Interesting

    it seems to me that since carbon nanotubes are, well, pure carbon that pollution is a non-issue. carbon must be better than polymers. also, any work done on the effects of graphite/diamond dust would seem to apply equally well for nanotubes.

  3. Next by 4of12 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So I have to wonder whether carbon nanotubes might better be used as capacitors than as an electrode in a conventional battery?

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