Of the many different designs being explored by scientists in pursuit of better batteries, lithium-metal is an architecture that holds great potential. One problem holding the technology back, however, is the formation of tentacle-like growths called dendrites that quickly cause battery failure. Scientists at Rice University have put forward a promising solution to this problem in the form of fine powder that can be brushed onto electrode surfaces to ensure their survival.

A lithium-metal battery would see the graphite used as the anode, one of a lithium battery's two electrodes, replaced with pure lithium metal. This material offers a very high energy density and could enable batteries to charge much faster and offer as much as 10 times more capacity, but getting them to work reliably over long timeframes has proven difficult so far.

As the battery is cycled, dendrites begin to form on the anode and can cause the battery to short-circuit, fail or catch fire. We've seen many interesting potential solutions to this dendrite problem, and Rice University scientists have been responsible for more than few, with nanotube films, adhesive tapes and laser treatments just some of the recent examples.