The breakthrough comes from replacing the material used for one of the battery's electrodes with hollowed out nanospheres that enable the device to not only hold more charge, but remain stable over an impressive period of time.

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from smartphones to laptops to electric vehicles, and all do so by using graphite as the anode – the device's negative electrode. The anode is a key point of focus for scientists looking to improve battery performance.

For researchers at Russia's National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), that meant exploring replacements for graphite anodes that might offer greater efficiency. Through a technique called ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, where ions of special metals are turned into a fog through ultrasound and the water is then evaporated at high temperatures, the team was able to create microscopic spheres with a hollowed out, porous structure that seemed to fit the bill.