US Patent 7816031 - Si nanowire battery

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7816031.html

This patent from Stanford University teaches growing silicon nanowires in a lithium ion battery to increase the energy capacity per weight to over 2000 mAh/g. Claim 1 reads:

1. A battery, comprising:

an ion transporter to transport ions;

a first current collector on one side of the ion transporter; and

a second current collector, located on another side of the ion transporter, including a substrate and a plurality of solid nanowires including silicon or a silicon alloy that are growth-rooted from the substrate and that interact with the ions,

wherein the growth-rooted solid nanowires have a stable energy capacity greater than about 2000 mAh/g.