Aluminum-ion batteries may replace lithium-ion batteries in mobile devices thanks to a breakthrough made by U.S. researchers. Scientists have long sought to use aluminum in batteries because it is relatively inexpensive and light weight. They discovered that using aluminum as the negative anode and graphite as the positive cathode works very well. The aluminum-ion prototype battery can be fully charged in as little as one minute and can last through 7,500 charge cycles -- more than seven times that of today's lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, aluminum is much more stable and therefore safer than lithium-ion. "Lithium-ion batteries can be a fire hazard," said Hongjie Dai at Stanford University in California. "Our new battery won't catch fire, even if you drill through it." The aluminum-ion battery is durable and can be bent or folded. The researchers did not say if the aluminum-ion battery matches lithium-ion in terms of charge capacity relative to size. There's no word on if or when aluminum-ion batteries might reach consumer devices.


More...