
Rice scientists say nanotube film could make for better batteries
Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The inclusion of films of carbon nanotubes could be key in building a longer-lasting battery, scientists at Rice University said. Led by chemist James Tour, the researchers used the nanotube films to come up with a way to halt the growth of dendrites on a battery's unprotected lithium metal anodes, Rice said in a news release Thursday. They published their results this month in the journal Advanced Materials. The dendrites usually degrade batteries by reaching their cathodes, prompting consumers to avoid lithium batteries in favor of their lithium-ion counterparts because developers can slow dendrite growth in lithium-ion batteries by slowing their charge time, Tour said. But Tour and his team determined that dendrite growth can be slowed in lithium batteries by using a s...