Safer and More Powerful Batteries – Dreamliner and Political

Batteries are all around us in the news. First, the Wall Street Journal and other media are reporting that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating microscopic “dendrite” formation as possible causes for the “dreamliner” lithium ion battery problems. Ironically, when I did lithium ion battery research two decades ago, dendrite formation was a key issue driving the research. 

Then, tonight, President Obama noted new materials and more powerful batteries in the State of the Union Speech. 

Hopefully, we can all agree on the goal to develop safer AND more powerful batteries – and hopefully it won’t take another 20 years.