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There has been a solid breakthrough in the world of battery technology. TDK, a major supplier of batteries to Apple and Tesla, has managed to develop a material for solid-state batteries with 100-times higher energy density. The breakthrough will allow the manufacturing of battery cells with 100x the volumetric density than its current solution.
The new material for solid-state batteries will offer significantly higher energy density
According to TDK, the newly created material will offer significantly higher energy density than the company’s current CeraCharge solid-state batteries. It has an energy density of 1,000Wh/L. Essentially, it has 100 times higher energy capacity than TDK’s current mass-produced solution.
In the new CeraCharge solid-state battery solution, the company has used an oxide-based solid electrolyte. It is accompanied by additional lithium alloy anodes. Apart from this, TDK hasn’t revealed many technical details about how this solution will create batteries with 100 times higher energy density.
The company did mention that these batteries are extremely safe due to the use of oxide-based solid electrolytes. This means they will be much safer in products that come in direct contact with the human body, like smartwatches, fitness trackers, earbuds, and hearing aids.
Notably, TDK’s new solution would effectively make high-capacity batteries compliant with the new EU regulations. The new rules require the hardware makers to phase out disposable batteries in favor of the ones that can be recharged or replaced. The new regulations aim to reduce the e-waste, which will contribute to the reduction of environmental impact.
TDK’s new battery solution can be utilized in various devices
TDK says there are many applications of its new higher energy density battery solution. These batteries can be used in wearable devices like earphones, hearing aids, and smartwatches. They can also be put in environmental sensors, apart from being used as a replacement for coin cell batteries.
Smartphone companies like Apple could also utilize the new CeraCharge batteries, as it already uses the current TDK batteries in its products. We can expect Apple devices like the iPhone, AirPods, and the Apple Watch to offer much higher battery life in the future. We can expect that other consumer electronics providers will also use this tech in their products.
TDK is now working towards bringing the new power cells to mass production. It will also try to increase the capacity of its new solid-state battery further. The company will start sending samples of the new battery tech to clients next year.