The Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) created “graphene balls” to increase battery capacity by 45 percent and charge up to five times more quickly. The company says the innovation could allow the new battery to charge fully in just 12 minutes, making it suitable for cell phones and electric cars alike. Electronics manufacturers have taken to graphene, raising its status to a “miracle material” due to its strength, conductivity, and elasticity. “It is a great technology with various potential applications but it will take a long time for graphene-based batteries to be mass produced,” Kim Young-woo at SK Securities told the Financial Times. “The key is who can commercialize the technology first. It won’t be easy to apply the minute processing technology for large-scale production of high-quality, electronics-grade graphene.” Samsung has had to invest heavily in battery research since the exploding Note 7 fiasco of 2016. […]