This is what every smartphone user has been waiting for: a battery that charges the smartphone in 30 seconds. Israeli startup StoreDot claims to have created just that. They demonstrated the technology at Microsoft’s Think Next symposium in Tel Aviv on a Samsung Galaxy S4. StoreDot, a Tel Aviv-based nanotechnology startup, uses a new battery chemistry that features what they call “nanodot” – according to the company, these nanodots are “the first bio-organic nano crystal ever discovered. Only 2 nanometers in size, these multifunctional Nanodots are bio-organic peptide molecules that change the rules of mobile device capabilities.” StoreDot says the electrical properties of these nanodots allow the electrode to charge much faster, while still discharging at a rate similar to conventional lithium-ion batteries. Their website states: “StoreDot’s technology for energy storage can be applied in batteries for mobile devices, providing a sustainable solution that can replace lithium-ion batteries. Due to the size of StoreDot nanodots, the electrode capacitance is increased, resulting in next-generation batteries and super-capacitors that can be fully charged in minutes rather than hours. ” The big question is whether this can be mass produced. StoreDot says yes. It’s supposedly cheap to produce as the technology is based on naturally occurring organic compounds. StoreDot has a star-studded team. CEO and founder of StoreDot Dr. Doron Myersdorf, earlier had founded and managed two Silicon Valley startups, and has rich experience in semiconductors, pharmaceutical and biotech industries. According to the StoreDot website, his focus is to disrupt next-generation mobile devices in several areas, including memory, display, image sensing, battery and materials. CTO and Cofounder Prof. Simon Litsyn is a renowned expert in information storage and transmission. Other Cofounder Prof. Gil Rosenman, an expert in the physics of nonlinear dielectrics – ferroelectrics and engineering of bio-inspired nanomaterials, is also a full professor at the School of Electrical Engineering at the Tel Aviv University. Check out the video to see StoreDot’s prototype in action:
Skeptics have already pointed out a capacity issue and that the charger is much larger than conventional batteries – it’s more like a laptop charger than a smartphone charger at present. StoreDot promises to tackle those within a year. It will take a while for users to get their hands of this charger but it is definitely worth the wait if it delivers what it promises.
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