from Hacker News

Stanford develops new batteries

by dbz on 12/4/11, 1:12 AM with 11 comments

  • by jws on 12/4/11, 3:54 AM

    This is a cathode made from nanoscale particles of crystalline copper hexacyanoferrate which has a lattice that nicely fits hydrated potassium ions. Very high charge and discharge rates. 40000 cycles and still 80% capacity. Projected to be cheap to mass produce.

    The battery chemistry is cheaper than lithium ion, but also heavier for the same energy storage. Sounds like more than a few times heavier, but hard to tell from the article. In any event, aimed at grid storage, energy density isn't as important as for portable electronics.

    The fly in the ointment is that they do not have a suitable anode terminal, but as researchers that just gives them something to work on.

  • by narkee on 12/4/11, 6:46 AM

    New battery press releases are like the "win a free iPad" ads of the tech world.

    It seems like every single research institution in the past 10 years has announced some battery breakthrough, via metamaterials, carbon nano-tubes, super-capacitors, etc.

    I've yet to see much follow through. It's getting tiresome to read about.

  • by joelrunyon on 12/4/11, 7:12 AM

    Does anyone know why it's taken so long for progress to happen in battery technology? Obviously, I get that it's not that simple, but is there a specific limitation we keep running into a wall here?

    I know they mention price at one point in the article, but for something that's bound to have a massive impact on a huge variety of industries, I can't imagine that the money hurdle is insurmountable.

  • by RShackleford on 12/4/11, 12:30 PM

    fuck