Nov. 21 — A new discovery by researchers from Washington State University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has the potential to improve battery charging, energy storage and more.

The university said in a news release Tuesday that researchers, led by WSU physicist Brian Collins, set a new ion speed record using nanoscience. They found a way to make ions move 10 times faster in organic ionic electronic conductors.

This can lead to a number of benefits such as biosensing, soft robotics and neuromorphic computing, according to the press release.

The conductors take advantage of ion signaling used in many biological systems, such as the human body, as well as electron signaling found in computers.

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The development enables simultaneous movement between ions and electrons, which is crucial for battery charging and energy storage, according to the press release.

The leaders have the prospect of driving technologies that combine biological and electrical mechanisms, such as neuromorphic computing that mimics the human brain and nervous system, according to the press release.

Researchers also created a sensor to detect chemical reactions on a microscopic scale, according to the press release. This may have the ability to distinguish pollutants in the environment, or identify neurons that are firing in the body and brain.

The study was supported by the National Science Foundation. Contributors include first author Tamanna Khan, co-authors Thomas Ferron and Awwad Alotaibi of WSU, and Terry McAfee of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

More information about the research is available at bit.ly/3OmboF7.