“A group of researchers from Stanford University found out that nanowires
made of silicon allow to considerably enhance the output of Li-ion
batteries. A laptop that can work on its common rechargeable battery
for two hours will be able to run for 20 hours with the help of the new
technology.”

Sounds like a really good advancement here. . . .It would be really nice if my iPod didn’t have to be charged so often, or my power tools could be really cordless, not “limited to two hours until I need an electrical outlet to re-charge the battery.”  As the article states, this technology could also be very useful for a new generation of electric cars.  Electric motors have been small, powerful, and energy-efficient for many years.  The only real problem has been finding a battery large enough, with enough charge cycles, to power an electric car for any useful distance at a reasonable speed.

“The electrical storage capacity of a Li-ion battery
depends on how much lithium can be held in the battery’s anode, which
is typically made of carbon. Silicon has a much higher capacity than
carbon, but also has a downside.

Silicon placed in a battery swells as it absorbs
positively charged lithium atoms during charging, then shrinks during
use (i.e., when playing your iPod) as the lithium is drawn out of the
silicon. This expand/shrink cycle typically causes the silicon (often
in the form of particles or a thin film) to pulverize, degrading the
performance of the battery.

The new battery pushes this problem aside with the
help of nanotechnology. The battery stores lithium in silicon
nanowires, each with the diameter one-thousandth the thickness of a
sheet of paper. The wires inflate four times as they absorb lithium,
but they do not fracture like other silicon-made shapes.”

Read the full article here :
http://english.pravda.ru/news/science/16-01-2008/103438-silicon_nanowires-0