Genius new material could make your iPhone battery ‘last YEARS longer’

A NEW type of battery material may help to extend the longevity of your smartphone device, a study finds.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), was published in the journal ACS Applied Energy Material.

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Mobile devices have come a long way over the last 20 years, and so have their batteries.

Today, smartphone devices use lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are lighter, smaller, and more powerful than predecessors like Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH).

Still, Li-ion batteries are not without their faults – one common problem is that they quickly degrade after about a year or so of usage, requiring more charges for your smartphone device.

This happens because a binding agent called poly(vinylidene fluoride), or PVDF, which connects parts of the battery together degrades over time, shortening the cell’s useful lifespan.

However, JAIST has developed a new material as an alternative to PVDF, which can extend the life of your phone’s lithium-ion battery by several years.

The material is a copolymer called bis-imino-acenaphthenequinone-paraphenylene, or BP for short.

The team of researchers said that BP displayed “excellent performance” and is able to maintain 95 percent retention capacity after more than 1,700 charging cycles. 

In comparison, a typical PVDF battery begins degrading after 500 charges and only retains about 65 percent of its starting capacity.

The material could prove to be revolutionary for battery-powered devices such as laptops, tablets, and, perhaps even electric cars.

Professor Noriyoshi Matsumi, who led the study, states: “The realization of durable batteries will help in the development of more reliable products for long-term use. This will encourage consumers to purchase more expensive battery-based assets like electric vehicles, which will be used for many years.”