Scientists are all working hard to find the Holy Grail of batteries and it looks like solid state could be a contender.

A recent paper from researchers at MIT, working with Samsung, details a new type of battery. This solid-state powerhouse will last longer without degradation, hold more charge and is even safer than current lithium-ion batteries.

Current lithium-ion batteries rely on an electrolyte liquid to transport charged particles between the two electrodes. It's this liquid that can be flammable and which degrades the battery, limiting life.

Previously, solid-state batteries were thought useless as they could not conduct fast enough. This has now been proved wrong. New solid-state batteries could overcome all the issues of current batteries while offering even better performance.

According to the MIT report these new batteries could be charged for hundreds of thousands of cycles before degrading. They could also provide a 20 to 30 per cent improvement in power density meaning that much more charge for whatever they are powering.

For electric cars, as well as mobile devices, these could be the ideal battery. Although in the car example we have to wonder if solid state means heavier too.

As with all these university level battery discoveries don't hold your breath expecting to see one soon. There's a lot of competition fighting for production. Check out our future batteries feature to see just how many exciting discoveries have ben made in this field lately.

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