# Sand In Batteries?



## capetocuba (10/7/14)

Scientists at the University of California and the Bourns College of Engineering may have just found a way to triple battery life for electronics, including smartphones and tablets.
Published in the Nature Scientific Report journal, the team's findings may be the starting point towards significant increases in batteries' efficiency. Apparently, the team is using sand, yes -- sand -- instead of the typical graphite for the anode, and graduate student Zachary Favors is credited with coming up with the idea after realizing how much quartz there is in the sand at the beach.
After obtaining sand that is rich enough in quartz, Favors milled it to the nanometer scale and purified it. After adding a few other inexpensive ingredients, like ground salt and magnesium, the mix was heated to arrive at pure silicon. That same silicon also proved to be very porous which, reportedly, is the key to improved performance of batteries consisting the element. In any case, a threefold increase in energy density is reported to have resulted from this new process when compared with standard, graphite anode-based batteries. Best of all, this new solution would be far cheaper to produce, not to mention it would be non-toxic and environmentally-friendly. Hold your thumbs!

Reactions: Like 5 | Winner 2 | Informative 4


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## Mauritz (10/7/14)

Thank you for the find. 

The unfortunate thing is that the university would now have applied for a patent. That patent will sit with them for atleast a year before they sell to the highest bidder. From there the new owner will do some RND , build or tool up factories and find suppliers for raw materials. Only then will they go into production. This means it will be a long time before we see the tech. More likely to stabilise LiPo batteries before we see this tech.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Joey786 (10/7/14)

I think patents are 5 years


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## RATZ (10/7/14)

Joey786 said:


> I think patents are 5 years


 
Patents are 20 years, gives you a good time to make money off a good idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Term_of_patent
The bad idea is beach sand. Not on my beach you don't. Zululand beaches have already been destroyed because of mineral mining.
Plenty of sand in Suadi Arabia,Egypt, Lybia and the rest of North Africa they can f%$ off there. 

**I understand this would be a great thing for vaping and modern life in general, but I have witnessed a unique eco-system being destroyed and feel very stongly on the matter. The mining hasn't just destroyed the dune, but the reef too.


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## crack2483 (10/7/14)

Sahara desert? 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


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## RATZ (10/7/14)

Yep, It's where glass was discovered if i remember correctly and glass is 70+ percent silicon...


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## Riaz (11/7/14)

beaches are gona be without sand LOL

Reactions: Funny 2


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