Graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon. It’s
essentially the same material on your pencil tip, only shaved down to a nearly
two-dimensional plane. Though extremely thin, graphene is the strongest
material ever made (two hundred times stronger than structural steel).
Meanwhile, it’s also lightweight and can also be stretched like rubber. More
importantly, however, graphene is an excellent electrical current conductor.
During the end of 2011 Engineers at Northwestern University
led by professor Harold H. Kung have produced a lithium-ion battery with a
graphene /silicon electrode which can store ten times as much charge, charge
ten times faster and last longer than current best-technology batteries.
The Northwestern University engineers have replaced the
graphite anode in lithium ion batteries with a sandwich made up of sheets of
graphene with 'nano holes' and silicon which are capable of storing ten times
the number of lithium ion's as traditional graphite. This also enable the
battery to be charged ten times quicker than normal lithium ion batteries.
The researchers said that the technology could be seen in
the marketplace in the next three to five years. Imagine a dream cellphone
battery that stayed charged for more than a week and recharged in just 15
minutes!!! Now that's really cool!
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