If there is one area where both netbooks and smartbooks look to stretch the boundaries of technological innovation it is battery life. So could this breakthrough mean we stop talking about hours of usage and move onto days or even weeks?
jkOnTheRun reports a breakthrough by a government-backed startup spun from Arizona State University, Fluidic Energy. The company has seen the creation of a new form of energy storage that could prove to be up to 11x more efficient than existing lithium-ion cells. Called ‘Metal-Air Ionic Liquid’ (MAIL), it works using an ionic liquid salt to conduct electricity, which isn’t prone to either drying out or long term degradation - both major flaws with current batteries.
In tests, MAIL has lasted between 900 and 1,600 watt-hours (Whr) using a 2.2-Kg battery, which is where this 11x figure comes from. Cut that down to the size of a typical laptop battery, however, and we’re still looking at 5x greater efficiency than lithium-ion — which is exciting stuff.
Naturally enough, the primary target for MAIL development is in batteries for electric cars, but if it proves successful then use in laptops and other electric gadgets is inevitable. As with all exciting breakthroughs there has been no timeframe put on the real world availability, but if the reality can match the theory, it can’t get here soon enough…
Gordon
