https://www.buschini.com/en/watch/technology/ A commented press review on technology: what is actually moving, beyond the announcements and the press releases. en © 2026 Philippe Buschini Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-026-02240-6 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-026-02240-6 Nature For two centuries, increasing a battery’s size has generally meant increasing its charging time. An Australian prototype turns that logic on its head: the more molecules it contains, the faster it charges. Developed by CSIRO in collaboration with RMIT University and the University of Melbourne, the device completes the first full charge, storage and discharge cycle of a quantum battery. It relies on an optical microcavity formed by two mirrors placed 100 nanometres apart, with organic dye molecules trapped between them. When excited by a laser, the molecules absorb energy collectively through a phenomenon known as superabsorption. Charging time then decreases according to the formula 1/√N, where N represents the number of molecules. The breakthrough, however, is not merely about speed. In 2022, the team had already observed superabsorption but had been unable to retrieve the energy. The addition of charge transport layers now makes it possible to extract an electrical current. This milestone crowns eight years of research and three successive prototypes, transforming an initial theoretical curiosity into a working device. The result remains far removed from a battery for a smartphone or electric car: the prototype stores only a few billion electronvolts and retains its energy for just a few nanoseconds. The most realistic application therefore lies in quantum computers, particularly because the system operates at room temperature, unlike superconducting devices cooled below -150°C. The researchers have also extended energy retention to the microsecond scale using molecular triplet states. They are now developing a hybrid architecture that combines quantum components for rapid charging with conventional layers for longer-term storage. The prospect of remote, cable-free and almost instantaneous charging remains distant, but it now rests on the first complete experimental demonstration. https://www.lesnumeriques.com/science-espace/la-chine-realise-l-impossible-elle-cree-une-batterie-au-lithium-innovante-capable-de-maintenir-son-autonomie-meme-a-50-0c-n261721.html Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.lesnumeriques.com/science-espace/la-chine-realise-l-impossible-elle-cree-une-batterie-au-lithium-innovante-capable-de-maintenir-son-autonomie-meme-a-50-0c-n261721.html Les Numériques Cold remains one of the greatest enemies of lithium batteries: as temperatures fall, ions move less easily through the electrolyte, reducing range and slowing charging. A team at Nankai University in China claims to have overcome this limitation with an approach that breaks from conventional battery chemistry. The researchers replaced the usual oxygen-based solvents with 1,3-difluoropropane, a fluorinated molecule that binds less strongly to lithium ions. This allows the ions to break free and move more easily, even in extreme cold. The solution lowers the desolvation barrier, the stage at which an ion must detach from the solvent before continuing its journey between the electrodes. In laboratory tests, the battery achieved an energy density of 707 watt-hours per kilogram at room temperature, more than twice that of the best commercially available lithium-ion batteries. It retained around 400 watt-hours per kilogram at −50 °C and continued operating down to −70 °C, with a reported efficiency of 98%. These results open up a promising avenue for high-altitude drones, polar missions and aerospace applications, where resistance to cold and low weight are decisive. However, this advance remains far from automotive use. The experimental cell withstands only around 115 charging cycles, compared with the several thousand expected of a vehicle battery. Its fluorinated solvent, which becomes volatile at 48 °C, also raises stability and safety concerns as temperatures rise. Added to this are the risk of dendrite formation and manufacturing costs higher than those of conventional electrolytes. This battery therefore does not yet represent an industrial revolution, but it demonstrates that high energy density and operation in extreme cold can be combined by fundamentally rethinking the role of the electrolyte.