These recent breakthroughs in electrical component technology are likely to have a significant impact on the electronics industry – and on people’s everyday lives.
Graphene – Latest News for Revolutionary Material
Your’e probably aware of the superstar conductor of the future, Graphene: “A wonder material that is the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material with the potential to revolutionize diverse applications; from smartphones and ultrafast broadband to drug delivery and computer chips”.
… here are some industry breakthroughs that may not yet be on your radar:
Lithium-ion batteries could be enhanced by a new electrode that uses graphene-coated vanadium oxide ribbons. The ribbons are thousands of times thinner than a sheet of paper but have the potential to accelerate development of major applications such as electric cars. Cathodes built into half-cells for testing at Rice University, Texas, fully charged and discharged in 20 seconds and retained more than 90 percent of their initial capacity after more than 1,000 cycles.
Grapheme Silicon Additive Extends Battery Life
…and in similar news, a new graphene-silicon additive for lithium-ion batteries has just been released for commercial sale. The graphene nan platelets increase lithium-ion battery life by four times the current standard and will substantially extend battery lifespan. The breakthrough will likely lead to portable electronic devices becoming lighter and smaller, and should prove useful in the continuing developments in the electric vehicle industry.
Stay Tuned for Graphene Speakers – The Future of Audio?
A graphene loudspeaker has been developed with an excellent frequency response across the entire audio frequency range (20 Hz–20 kHz) and could one day outperform current commercial speakers. According to Alex Zettl of the University of California, Berkeley where the technology is being researched: “Graphene is an exceptionally strong material means that it can be used to make very large, extremely thin film membranes that efficiently generate sound”.
Read More: New electronic components will change lives in 2014