A team of scientists at the University of Leeds have developed a new type of polymer gel which could lead to smaller, cheaper, more efficient lithium batteries. The jelly is being used to replace electrolyte, the volatile, potentially dangerous liquid which is currently used in most lithium batteries.
The new technology has been licensed to US-based Polystor Energy Corporation, which will conduct trials into the gel's commercial possibilities for use in smartphones, tablets and other consumer electronic devices.
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Professor Ian Ward FRS, a Research Professor of Physics at the University of Leeds who developed the technology says that gel can also be made into a thin and flexible film via a fully automated process, keeping costs down and production speeds high.
“The polymer gel looks like a solid film, but it actually contains about 70 percent liquid electrolyte" said Professor Ward. "It's made using the same principles as making a jelly: you add lots of hot water to 'gelatine' - in this case there is a polymer and electrolyte mix - and as it cools it sets to form a solid but flexible mass.”
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