While there have been many apparent battery breakthroughs over the years, many of them have yet to materialize, often due to commercialization issues. Regardless, the more new ideas and innovations in this area the better, and recently John Goodenough (now 94 years old, and who co-invented the original lithium-ion battery technology) and Cockrell School senior research fellow Maria Helena Braga have developed the first all-solid-state battery cells that could lead to safer, faster-charging, longer-lasting rechargeable batteries.
“Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted. We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries,” Goodenough said.
The team demonstrated that the new noncombustible solid-state battery has over three times the energy density as current lithium-ion batteries. And not only does it have more charge/discharge cycles, it can be recharged orders of magnitude faster (with recharge times counted in minutes). And because of the solid-glass electrolytes, the battery is easier to manufacture and can also operate at much lower temperatures.
“The glass electrolytes allow for the substitution of low-cost sodium for lithium. Sodium is extracted from seawater that is widely available,” Braga said.
Full Story: Lithium-Ion Battery Inventor Introduces New Technology for Fast-Charging, Noncombustible Batteries
Research Paper: Alternative strategy for a safe rechargeable battery
This story is also inspirational from another perspective. Remember that you're never too old, and it's never too late, to come up with something that's potentially great.