Carbon Nanotubes Give Nanotechnology Batteries a Boost

Nanowerk News reported that researchers at North Carolina State University have managed to reate a new flexible nano-scaffold for rechargeable lithium ion batteries. Through this new technology, batteries found in cellphones or electric vehicles could potentially have a longer charge life.

According to the publication:

The research, published in Advanced Materials (“Aligned Carbon Nanotube-Silicon Sheets: A Novel Nano-architecture for Flexible Lithium Ion Battery Electrodes”), shows the potential of manufactured sheets of aligned carbon nanotubes coated with silicon, a material with a much higher energy storage capacity than the graphite composites typically used in lithium ion batteries.

Philip Bradford, assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science at NC State commented:

Putting silicon into batteries can produce a huge increase in capacity—10 times greater. But adding silicon can also create 10 times the problems.

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