(Phone Arena) Watt Laboratory is an organization under Huawei’s Central Research Institute. The company took part in the 57th Battery Symposium in Japan and made a curious announcement today.
Watt Laboratory unveiled the first graphene-assisted Li-ion battery. Graphene is a carbon material with a thickness of one atom, in which individual atoms are arranged in a honeycomb shape. The material is about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel and has great properties, when it comes to conducting heat and electricity. Therefore, graphene makes an excellent heat shield.
This is also its application in Huawei’s new battery. The power pack unveiled by Watt Laboratory can withstand up to 60°C, which is 10°C higher than the currently existing upper limit. According to its creators, the graphene-assisted Li-ion power pack should have a lifespan that’s two times longer than that of a regular Li-ion battery with the same capacity.
Dr. Yangxing Li, Chief Scientist at Watt Laboratory, also mentioned some tests and their respective results.
"We have performed charging and discharging tests in a high-temperature environment. The tests show that when working parameters are the same, the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion battery is 5°C cooler than ordinary Li-ion batteries. Over 70% of the graphene battery's capacity is left after it is recharged 2,000 times at a temperature of 60°C. Less than 13% of its capacity is lost after being kept in a 60°C environment for 200 days."
For comparison, most Li-ion batteries degrade rapidly after two to three years, no matter if they’re used or not. And high-temperature conditions make them age even faster. If the numbers quoted above are correct, Huawei’s graphene-assissted battery should withstand 60°C temperatures for over 4 years before dying completely.
The new type of battery will not be making it into commercial handsets just yet. But another technology by Huawei will be getting its debut late this month. Namely, a super-quick charging Li-ion battery unveiled at the same symposium last year. We’re certainly curious to see just how quick it will be.
