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Nanowires Boost Laptop Battery Life to 20 Hours

brianmed writes to tell us that Stanford researchers have created a new use for silicon nanowires that promise to reinvent lithium-ion batteries. "The new version, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion, known as Li-ion, batteries. A laptop that now runs on battery for two hours could operate for 20 hours, a boon to ocean-hopping business travelers. [...] The lithium is stored in a forest of tiny silicon nanowires, each with a diameter one-thousandth the thickness of a sheet of paper. The nanowires inflate four times their normal size as they soak up lithium. But, unlike other silicon shapes, they do not fracture."

11 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. Sony Nanowire Batteries by Apple+Acolyte · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now with 10 times the explosive power.

    --
    Part of the hardcore faithful who believed in Apple long before it was cool again to do so
    1. Re:Sony Nanowire Batteries by mpe · · Score: 5, Funny

      Now with 10 times the explosive power.

      How long before laptop batteries get classified as "munitions"?

    2. Re:Sony Nanowire Batteries by ZeroFactorial · · Score: 2, Funny

      It grows up to 4 times the original size and can go for 20 hours?

      They're going to put Extenze (and Viagra) out of business with a product like this.

      On the bright side we won't have to see any more commercials of the chick with the freaky eyes.

    3. Re:Sony Nanowire Batteries by arivanov · · Score: 4, Funny

      No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There is always a boom tomorrow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEsFB2GPy24

      --
      Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
      http://www.sigsegv.cx/
    4. Re:Sony Nanowire Batteries by 192939495969798999 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Not only that, but when it explodes in your lap, you get riddled with nanowire superpowers! And mostly in the very area that your laptop's radiation has probably been eroding your powers.

      --
      stuff |
    5. Re:Sony Nanowire Batteries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      >No doubt. I can imagine a rush of customers desperately seeking a 1-inch thick titanium plate to stick between their laptop and their 'valuables'.

      The value of items are only what people are willing to pay for it

  2. Standford? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    What is this Standford you speak of?

  3. Re:Thickness of paper? by 1000101 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Stack up 4,648,421,052 of these bad boys and you'll have a nano wire Empire State building. Conversely, the length of these are approximately 2.15x10^-7 Empire State Building's long*.

    *including tower

  4. Re:Smaller lighter batteries by Xentor · · Score: 3, Funny

    Careful, or he'll give ya the 132 salute.

    --
    "The amount of intelligence on this planet is a constant. The population is growing." -Cole's Axiom
  5. Re:Critical questions of how by quickpick · · Score: 5, Funny

    1) How much will they cost
    If you have to ask you can't afford it.
    2) How long does it take to charge
    Not too long, plug it in and wait for the amber light to turn green.
    3) How many charges can you get in its lifetime.
    If its made by Apple you can charge it as many times as you want, but replacing it will cost about 82% of the original cost of the full price of the original device you bought it for UNLESS you buy an Apple Care Plan for 73% of the full price of the original device you bought it for.

    If any one of those is a major deficiency, the technology will be worthless. Since they didn't immediately bring up use in electric cars, I'm guessing there's currently a fatal flaw that applies to one of those questions. They will ALL be deficient to one person or another...therefore the technology will be worthless in some aspect by someone. Why is it that people only want to use it in electric cars? I'm sure all the single and lonely women wouldn't mind having a device that doesn't quit on them before they're TRULY satisfied...which will never happen because women are never satisfied. Thats why its called a ball and chain.

    My money is still on ultra-capacitors.
    You fool. My money is in Gold because the Fiat System will fail at some point and you can't buy food with ultra-capacitors...

  6. I'm amped just reading this... by Akardam · · Score: 5, Funny

    The current limitation is that you cannot releaste the energy in a short burst.
    Yes, precisely!