14 DAY TRIAL // There are many things that can make the current IT industry better, and the new invention from the University of Leeds might just become one of the ones with a wider and visible impact.
At the moment, laptops, digital cameras, mp3 players, mobile phones and many other portable consumer electronics rely on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
These are based on cells (sealed containers) containing a porous polymer film separator and liquid chemical filler.
The role of the separator allows lithium ions to flow between two electrodes while acting as a barrier, to keep said electrodes apart and prevent short-circuits.
Now, researchers from the University of Leeds say that they were able to develop a new battery technology, one that is not just cheaper to make and safer, but also more flexible, without any impact on performance.
The secret lies in the new polymer gel, which does away with the separator and, instead, sandwiches the gel between an anode and cathode at high speed (10m per minute).
The resulting, highly conductive strip is just a few nanometres thick and can help in the making of more affordable batteries with all the aforementioned benefits.
In fact, the polymer can be cut to any size and is sealed through a lamination process that also seals the electrodes together, eliminating the prospect of excessive liquid electrolyte or flammable solvent.
"The polymer gel looks like a solid film, but it actually contains about 70% liquid electrolyte" said Professor Ward.
"It's made using the same principles as making a jelly: you add lots of hot water to 'gelatine' - in this case there is a polymer and electrolyte mix - and as it cools it sets to form a solid but flexible mass".
Unfortunately, the announcement does not give even the slightest hint as to how soon one can expect new batteries to appear.
When it finally happens, however, technology will at last have an extra reason to pursue new design elements, primarily new product shapes, since the polymer will be able to readily bend.