The iPhone Air’s real breakthrough is its battery | TechCrunch

The thin design of the iPhone Air may be Conspicuousand the number of projects that miniaturize its logic board is impressive. But, according to Gene Berdichevsky, co-founder and CEO of the battery material manufacturer, the battery material manufacturer Siliconthe real breakthrough could lurk elsewhere inside the aluminum and glass fences.

“The battery in the new iPhone is excellent,” Berdichevsky told TechCrunch. “A totally arbitrary 2D shape – it’s amazing to look at this shape.”

“I just came back from Asia and I had the opportunity to see some of these cells,” he added. “It’s revolutionary battery technology.”

Berdichevsky Know one or two things About the battery. As Tesla’s seventh employee, he led the project for the original sports car battery, which became the template for the subsequent Teslas. Today, he leads Sila, the silicon anode material produced by Consumer Electronics etc, Electric cars.

Apple owns technology to make notched design possible for iPhone Air patent It is called a metal battery. The key details are: the metal shell surrounding the entire cell, adding strength and physical durability. Most batteries used in consumer electronics are small bag cells, and their plastic sleeves are cheaply made and can swell.

Apple has used L-shaped batteries in iPhones for many years. All lithium-ion batteries expand to some extent, and when swelling occurs, the inner corner of L becomes a pinch point.

“These are all very picky and basically make them bulletproof. Now you can build the battery in any two-dimensional shape you want,” Berdichevsky said.

Metal can batteries allow Apple to make full use of small spaces in the iPhone’s air. “They are able to get very close to the edge,” he said. After putting individual boards, it allows the battery to drive it into any free space.

Ultimately, Berdichevsky believes that despite the increased costs, most phones will still use metal can batteries. The additional energy storage will be worth it.

For small devices like AR and VR glasses, this will also be “very critical” and added that he saw some prototypes while in China. “This is even an improvement in energy density because it allows you to adapt to strange shapes,” Berdichevsky said.

The move to such a complex battery may be why Apple hasn’t swapped the carbon anode in its lithium-ion battery for a heavier version of silicon (also known as silicon carbon).

“If you bring [a new battery design] Online, you kind of go, ‘You know? Let’s take advantage of yesterday’s chemistry. ” said Bodicevsky.

However, the transition to the metal can can facilitate the transfer to the silicon anode in the near future. Pure silicon anodes can store 50% more energy than traditional graphite anodes, but the material is prone to swelling. Companies like Sila have developed proprietary methods to manage swelling inside the material, but still need to consider it at the cellular level.

“It will certainly help introduce silicon into this kind of device,” Bodichevsky said. “This allows us to push performance limits more. We have these deal discounts all the time, and we have to manage the bloating. You still have to do that, but you can push it a little higher. It’s very revolutionary.”