London: US scientists said they have invented a cheap, long-lasting and flexible battery made of aluminium for use in smartphones that can be charged in as little as one minute.
The researchers, who detailed their discovery in the journal Nature, said the new aluminium-ion battery has the potential to replace lithium-ion batteries, used in millions of laptops and mobile phones.
Besides recharging much faster, the new aluminium battery is safer than existing lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames, they added.
A Stanford University team made a breakthrough by accidentally discovering that graphite made a good partner to aluminium.
In a prototype, aluminium was used to make the negatively-charged anode while graphite provided material for the positively charged cathode. A prototype aluminium battery recharged in one minute. Also, the battery won’t catch fire, even if you drill through it!
