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DARPA plans to develop batteries smaller than a grain of sand

battery sculpture

Eco Factor: Small batteries pack large potential energy densities.

The development of lithium-ion batteries triggered a revolution in the electronic market by powering everything from cellphones to cars. Now a research funded by DARPA is trying to push the limits of battery technology by trying to create some of the smallest batteries on the planet, the largest of which should be no bigger than a grain of sand.

These tiny devices could one day be used to power electronics and mechanical components of tiny hand-held devices. Engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles, which are making one component of these batteries, stated that the team is trying to achieve the same power densities and the same energy densities as traditional lithium-ion batteries at a much smaller footprint.

The batteries will feature micro-pillars that are fabricated to maximize the surface to volume ratio and thus the potential energy density. The research is still in the early stages, but the electrodes have already been developed.

Via: GearFuse

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