In case you missed it, the TSA has made taking spare batteries for laptops on flights much more difficult. In addition to banning them from checked luggage, the new ruling, which went into effect Jan. 1, limits the size and number of spare batteries you can carry. Coincidentally, Stanford researchers recently announced a way to use silicon nanowires in lithium-ion batteries to extend the battery life tenfold — perfect for those international flights. In a paper published in the December issue of Nature Nanotechnology, the Stanford team describes a way to structure silicon in the batteries as tiny tubes. This makes silicon much more resistant to the expansion and contraction that occurs during charging and discharging, one of the limiting factors in battery life. Most importantly, the new approach doesn’t require significant changes to battery manufacturing processes. As a result, it may pave the way for new applications and reduce the amount of a device that’s devoted to power storage. Of course, with 10 times the power stored in a battery, the TSA may publish new rules. For more battery news, check out Boston-Power’s cash injection over at Earth2Tech.
