Equally important, we can now drastically cut down the toxic waste generated by disposed batteries, since our batteries last 10 times longer than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries." The chemical reactions inside the Graphene battery are amplified to regenerate at incredible speeds. Because the key ingredient, titanium dioxide, is both abundant and environmentally safe, the Graphene battery suitably replaces the inferior, modern lithium-ion battery that's used today.
Nanyang professor Rachid Yazami, who co-invented the lithium-graphite anodes used in lithium-ion batteries today, agrees that people need a more powerful battery than the one he helped engineer. Yazami wasn't involved in Chen's research project, but he says, "While the cost of lithium-ion batteries has been significantly reduced and its performance improved since Sony commercialized it in 1991, the market is fast expanding towards new applications in electric mobility and energy storage." Used in modern smartphones and electric vehicles, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries last for around 500 recharge cycles while Graphene batteries are expected to last for 10,000. Graphene is not only important in solving the energy crisis, but also will be essential for water purification and desalination in the near future. There are approximately 1.1 billion people currently without clean drinking water. Solving this problem through water purification has been one of mankind's greatest challenges; The problem continues to grow due to an increasing population and the current cost of filtration processes. Recent developments in Graphene however, could substantially lower the costs of purification and simultaneously lessen the energy footprint.
Researchers at MIT were the first scientists to discover Graphene's potential for filtrating water. The Graphene purification process involves perforating Graphene sheets with very small holes.
