News

Out of juice? New battery technology could help smartphones last twice as long

Chris Luo via South China Morning Post

SolidEnergy’s Solid Polymer Ionic Liquid (SPIL) lithium battery placed between Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi and Apple’s iPhone batteries. Photo: SolidEnergy

Smartphones that last twice as long before they need to be recharged could soon become reality after a US tech start-up revealed a portable battery with more than double the capacity of those currently on the market.

Run by Chinese-American Qichao Hu, US firm SolidEnergy’s Solid Polymer Ionic Liquid (SPIL) lithium battery’s prototype cells (2Ah) demonstrated a world record 1,337 Wh/L energy density in tests, according to A123 Systems, a battery manufacturing company that also provides test and validation services.

SolidEnergy said the energy capacity per volume is more than twice that of conventional lithium-ion batteries currently used in most portable electronic devices, such as smartphones. Most smartphone batteries on the market have an energy density of less than 600 Wh/L.

Hu developed the polymer ionic liquid (PIL) lithium metal battery when he was working in the lab of renowned material chemistry professor Donald Sadoway during his post-graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He founded SolidEnergy in 2012, shortly after graduation. The company currently has 12 members of staff, including Hu, all researchers.

Read the full article at South China Morning Post


Research Areas

Press inquiries: miteimedia@mit.edu