When CES was still a live event, we discussed with the people of Real Graphene how they will shock everyone's mind with groundbreaking battery technology. Since then, they have been busy with little beavers, not only because their supply chain was brutally treated during the pandemic. They have merged with a company called Elecjet, locked the patent, passed their first crowdfunding campaign easily, and are successfully passing their second campaign.

Most importantly, graphene-based batteries charge very quickly. We have been trying out Elecjet's upcoming Apollo Ultra, which can easily fill a capacity of 10,000mAh in half an hour. This is really important when you realize that most batteries of this capacity take several hours to fully charge. The performance of Apollo Ultra relies heavily on the 100-watt charger, but the graphene cathode is the top priority here.

Relax, we have just begun. First, let us quickly review the working principle of lithium-ion batteries. In short, the battery has two main compartments separated by a porous membrane. When you charge the battery, it pulls electrons from one compartment to another. The membrane prevents these electrons from drifting back to their natural homeland on the starting side. When a gadget that needs some juice to complete the battery circuit, these electrons have a return path. As a result, these electrons pass through all the hoops they need to get back to the starting point and generate the wonderful electric current we need to watch cat videos on YouTube.

Now these electrons need to be cooled on either side. Traditionally, graphite is used on the negatively charged anode side of lithium-ion batteries. It's carbon, it's very stable, and it's sticky enough for electrons, they will stay there, but not too sticky to pull it off. The anode is the side that pulls electrons when charging the battery.

Graphene is a single molecular layer of graphite. Due to this structure, graphene is even more stable than graphite. It provides a unique crystal lattice for electrons, which can be deposited above and below the flakes without hitting other flakes like graphite. The conductivity of graphene can be 70% higher than that of copper, which greatly improves the charging performance of the battery.

So cynical! The other side of using graphene is its extended overall life cycle. Since graphene is more stable than graphite, its degradation rate is much slower. When you charge and discharge the battery, the medium that holds electrons at the anode and cathode will become a little broken by pulling electrons from them all the time. The carbon atoms in graphene have ultra-tight bonds. According to Elecjet, this allows Apollo Ultra batteries to perform more than 2,500 power cycles compared to the usual 500 cycles. Although it remains to be seen in daily use, the 5-fold reduction in battery waste may well surpass the initial novelty of fast charging.

Graphene has been studied for many years and shows great promise. There has been little advancement in battery technology, so it is exciting when they actually enter the market. While it’s good news for those of us who are looking for a quick way to top up mobile phones, laptops, and tablets, keep in mind larger applications. It is easy to see how graphene-based portable smartphone batteries will eventually develop into large-scale commercial batteries for solar and wind energy production.

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