September 13, 2011 05:08 am EDT

Leeds researchers tout gel-based batteries as better, safer and cheaper

They're some fairly bold claims, but a team of researchers at the University of Leeds say they've managed to develop a new type of polymer gel that could lead to batteries that are safer, cheaper to manufacture and more flexible than traditional lithium-ion batteries. That last detail could have some particularly interesting consequences, as the researchers say it allows for batteries that can "shaped and bent to fit the geometries of virtually any device." What's more, all of that apparently comes with no compromise in performance, and the team has already licensed the technology to Polystor Energy Corporation, which is now conducting trials to commercialize the battery cells. The only catch is that there's not so much as a hint as to when such batteries might actually be available.

Leeds researchers tout gel-based batteries as better, safer and cheaper originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original Link: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/13/leeds-researchers-tout-gel-based-batteries-as-better-safer-and/

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