Stanford researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to reinvent the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, iPods, video cameras, cell phones, and countless other devices. The new version, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion, known as Li-ion, batteries. A laptop that now runs on battery for two hours could operate for 20 hours, a boon to ocean-hopping business travelers. ‘It’s not a small improvement,’ Cui said. ‘It’s a revolutionary development.’ The breakthrough is described in a paper, ‘High-performance lithium battery anodes using silicon nanowires,’ published online Dec. 16 in Nature Nanotechnology, written by Cui, his graduate chemistry student Candace Chan and five others. The greatly expanded storage capacity could make Li-ion batteries attractive to electric car manufacturers. Cui suggested that they could also be used in homes or offices to store electricity generated by rooftop solar panels. ‘Given the mature infrastructure behind silicon, this new technology can be pushed to real life quickly,’ Cui said. The electrical storage capacity of a Li-ion battery is limited by how much lithium can be held in […]