Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology aka SAIT has has found a way to make the existing Lithium ion batteries charge faster and last longer. According to the research published by online scientific journal, nature.com, the new batteries will use Graphene coated elements for this.
Graphene, which is a carbon based allotrope (form) and has a honeycomb mesh like structure is the strongest material ever tested. The material has been used in manufacturing capacity since 2004 and is widely regarded for its heat and electric conductivity. The published research also deems the technology usable for electric vehicles as it meets the necessary “upto 60 degree celsius” conditions.
Samsung has already patented the technology in South Korea and in the US and it is likely that the technology may make its way into smartphones. Lithium ion batteries are widely used across various walks of life and especially on your smartphones. Even though, the technology has improved and has become efficient gradually over the year, there hasn't been a big shift in how the technology actually works. This latest Graphene ball technology however, could bring a dramatic change in battery capacity as well as efficiency of these built-in batteries our smartphones use (hopefully).
All that said, this is not the first big patent filed by Samsung this year. In fact, the company filed a patent for pressure-sensitive under-display fingerprint scanner earlier last month. It is suggested that the company might introduce the technology with the next Samsung Galaxy flagship in 2018. Till now, only Qualcomm has been able to achieve a usable level of proficiency with the technology, and the company showcased it earlier this year at MWC Shanghai.