Quantum Battery Tested
Australian researchers reported a successful test of a quantum battery prototype this week — a proof‑of‑concept that promises ultra‑fast charging and high energy density if it can be commercialized. The milestone arrives as the IEA and others warn the Iran war has sharply exposed fossil‑fuel fragilities, making breakthroughs in next‑gen storage more strategically urgent. (qazinform.com) (ft.com)
The peer‑reviewed paper is titled "Superextensive electrical power from a quantum battery" (Light: Science & Applications, 2026; DOI 10.1038/s41377-026-02240-6) and lists Kieran Hymas as lead author with James Q. Quach as corresponding author. (nature.com). (nature.com) The prototype is a multi‑layered organic microcavity that is wirelessly charged with a laser and incorporates charge‑transport layers that convert trapped light into an electrical current, enabling a full charge–store–discharge cycle. (csiro.au). (csiro.au) Measurements in the study showed "superextensive" behaviour: both the charging power and the steady‑state electrical discharging power scale faster than linearly with the number of storage units under low‑intensity, incoherent illumination. (nature.com). (nature.com) The research team demonstrated that charging time empirically decreases as 1/√N, where N is the number of absorber molecules in the device. (theconversation.com). (theconversation.com) Spectroscopy data reported by CSIRO showed the prototype retained stored energy about six orders of magnitude longer than it took to charge, a ratio the authors highlighted as a key milestone toward practical operation. (csiro.au). (csiro.au) Lead researcher James Quach and co‑authors note the prototype is still tiny and that its stored charge currently lasts only on the order of a few nanoseconds and the capacity is measured in a few billion electron‑volts, so extending storage time is the primary technical hurdle. (theconversation.com). (theconversation.com) The experiment ran at room temperature using advanced spectroscopy in CSIRO’s clean lab, and CSIRO says it is now seeking development partners to work on scaling and commercialization. (csiro.au). (csiro.au)
