SmartphoneIn recent years, the safety of the batteries used by manufacturers has been somewhat questionable, but this problem is close to being completely solved. Specifically, a group of researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Rochester have discovered a method to make smartphone batteries much safer for use in cases where incidents happen.
The researchers created a material similar to silicate, but also to ooblek, which has a liquid form most of the time, but hardens when pressure is applied to it. The material returns to the liquid state after the pressure is removed, and so the researchers managed to create a very effective protective battery for the batteries that are used in smartphones, they cannot explode if they swell too much.
Smartphone: IMPORTANT REVOLUTION for Batteries
Researchers claim that this material is much better at preventing explosions than those currently used to protect batteries, so we are talking about a revolution for the industry. The even better part is that to use this material in batteries requires a minor change to their production process, so the chances of everything being used for the general public are very high, but no one knows exactly when anything could happen.
"As an alternative, his team mixes an additive into the conventional electrolyte to create an impact-resistant electrolyte. It solidifies when hit, preventing the electrodes from touching if the battery is damaged during a fall or crash. If the electrodes do not touch each other, the battery does not catch fire. Even better, incorporating the additive would require only minor adjustments to the conventional battery manufacturing process.”
These new types of smartphone batteries could initially be used in small electronic devices, in drones, and in the future they could also end up in cars, thanks to the increased degree of safety they offer. The problem is, of course, in the willingness of those who make batteries to adopt this technology for their own products, and until now no one has thought of replacing the current safety measures with better ones discovered by researchers.
